Fascination With A Demon
by Laerkstrein
Summary: Two years after the death of Haku and the cataclysmic battle against Kakashi Hatake, Zabuza Momochi is still on the run. But when he stops for a break in a small town on the border of the Land of Earth, he meets a young ninja who just won't let him be.
1. Kaoru Akiyama

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Naruto, _or any of the _Naruto_ characters used in this fic. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own any original characters that I choose to include, as well as any of my own original plot ideas.

**Fascination With A Demon**

**Chapter 1:** Kaoru Akiyama

**A/N:** Okay! New _Naruto_ fic! Huzzah! For the record, I blame my _Naruto_ games and manga. One minute, I'm reading the manga again during what free time I have, and the next thing I know, I'm sitting in front of the TV for three hours playing every freaking _Naruto_ game I own. -.- Ah, well. It's a phase, as usual. I'll get over it eventually. Though I hope that my _Naruto_ obsession won't end before I finish this fic. If it does, then I'll have to wait until I become re-addicted to _Naruto_ again.

* * *

"Hey, watch where you're walking, ya douche bag!" a fierce-eyed teenage girl snarled, glowering at Zabuza as he entered the bar.

The Demon shrugged and ignored the girl. He'd been on the run from the Hidden Mist's Undertaker Squad for several weeks now, and it was high-time he had a break. He smirked to himself as he imagined the hunters' frustration with him. They couldn't chase him forever, he decided. After all, they were only human, and, in the Demon's mind, hopeless fools who, even in their wildest dreams, would never get their hands on him. Besides, they'd never think to look for him within the border of the Land of Earth. And even if they did, they'd never suspect he was stopping in such a run-down town as this.

Putting the whole situation at the back of his mind, he took a seat, intent on getting his drink. _Stupid kids,_ he thought, as he ordered a glass of sake. _Can't be bothered to keep their damn mouths shut when they need to. It's no wonder they're always running amok on the-_- The sound of his sword scraping against the floor suddenly caught his attention. The loud-mouthed brat he'd run into at the door was trying her best to drag the damn thing away from him, fascination brimming in her dark eyes.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, brat?" he sneered, yanking the blade away from her with ease. "Didn't your parents ever teach you not to touch things that don't belong to you?"

The girl's eyes narrowed from beneath her short dark hair. "Fuck you!" she shot back, sitting on the stool beside him and grabbing the sake from his hand. "Adults can't tell me what to do, fathead," she said, downing the drink. "I do whatever the hell I want, and everyone else gets over it. So, if I were you, I'd shut the fuck up and go back to whatever hole I crawled out of."

Zabuza rolled his eyes. "Real tough, aren't you?" he muttered sarcastically, smacking the sake cup from her hand. "Now what do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Um, no," she said, "I can't. Besides, I don't consider drinking sake to be any real business. Now, if you were a real man, you'd be out there choppin' some heads or something. Ohhh!" The girl smacked her forehead with a laugh. "I'm so sorry! Only _ninjas_ have the balls to be out in the field doing something as badass as that! And there's no way _you're_ a ninja!"

Zabuza sighed. This punk was wearing thin on his patience, and she knew it. "Look girl," he said, trying to calm down. "Why don't you run back outside and do whatever the hell little bitches like you do, okay? I'm a busy man, and I don't have time to be putting up with your shit."

Before the girl could respond, Zabuza paid the bartender and walked out the door, silently hoping that the girl wouldn't follow him.

"Hey, wait!!"

_Oh, shit...._

He turned and, unfortunately, found her staring up at him. "I thought I told you to buzz off," he growled.

"You really are a ninja, aren't you?" she said, pointing at his headband.

"What of it?"

She bit her lip, kicking up small clouds of dirt with her shoes. "Take me with you!" she demanded.

"Let me think about it... _NO,_" Zabuza said, turning his back on her. _This is exactly why I hate kids...._

"Aww, come on, mister!" the girl whined. "I'm plenty old enough to be a ninja, anyway!! Come on!! Please?!"

Zabuza spun around, grabbing the girl by the collar and slamming her into the nearest wall. Being experienced in the art of silent killing, his first thought was to dispose of her before anyone got the wrong idea. Then again, he didn't give a fuck what anyone thought. Never had. "Listen and listen good, brat," he scowled, "You're _not _coming with me. Got it? Now, get lost!"

With a grin, the girl simply shoved a hand in his face as he set her on the ground. "Okay, not to be rude, but you really gotta lay off the booze. I mean, you're _never_ gonna get any girls if you smell like sake all the time. I mean, yuck!"

"What the hell is with you?!" he demanded.

The girl sighed. "I already _told_ you, dumbass. I wanna be a ninja. Or rather, your apprentice... or something like that... But..." she said tauntingly, scuffing her feet against the ground, "if you don't want me to be your apprentice, then I guess you'll never know..."

_Know what?_ he thought. _No! No, I'm not even gonna ask.... But what the fuck is she going on about?_

"You'll never know about my kekkei genkai," she said with a smirk, as if she had read his mind. "Oh, well. See ya later!"

Zabuza sighed, cursing the girl's tricks as well as his own damned fascination with the subject of kekkei genkai. "What's your name, brat?"

The girl ran a hand through her short brown hair, obviously proud of having connned Zabuza into accepting her as his apprentice. "Kaoru," she said proudly. "Kaoru Akiyama. I'm eighteen years old, and I'm originally from the Hidden Rain, although I ended up in the Hidden Mist Village after my parents died."

"Fascinating..." Zabuza muttered, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he looked her over. "And there's no way you're that old," he said. "You're too damn short to be eighteen, so quit jerking me around, brat. How old are you _really?"_

Kaoru's eyes widened. "Did... Did you just call me _short?" _She spat the last word with venom, and something told Zabuza that calling Kaoru "short" was taboo.

"I'm _not_ short!!" she screamed. "Don't you _dare_ call me short, you fathead!! I am not short! I'm not!! And I don't give a damn who the hell you are, you are _not_ to call me short! Ya got that, _asshole?! _There's no way in hell I'm short!! You're just... freakishly tall!!"

In all honesty, Zabuza really didn't want anything to do with this girl. And, as far as he was concerned, it was far too soon to be taking on another apprentice. Especially after having narrowly escaped death and having lost Haku during the battle with Kakashi Hatake and his brats two years earlier.

The Demon sighed. _How the hell did I get myself into this mess...?_ "All right! You're not short... Just shut the fuck up before I change my mind and decide to strangle you... And where the hell do you get off calling me names? Do you even know who I am?"

Kaoru faked a yawn as she leaned against a nearby wall. "Like I said earlier, I do what I want, and everyone else gets over it. And, duh, I do know who you are. You're Zabuza Momochi, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and the criminal wanted by the Land of Water for the failed assassination of the Mizukage a few years ago. You're an expert in the art of silent killing, also known as the 'Demon of the Hidden Mist.' And that's exactly why I've decided to become your apprentice." She glowered at him. "Do you have any idea how hard it was tracking you down? I mean, sheesh! Do you ever stay in one place?"

"Of course not," he sneered, heading down the street toward the gate of the little village. "I'm a wanted criminal, so I naturally don't sit still for very long. You know, for a kid that knows me this well, you're pretty dense. You honestly can't expect a missing-nin to lounge around with hunters on his tail, now can you?"

"Whatever," Kaoru replied nonchalantly. "So, where to?" Then, to Zabuza's surprise, Kaoru pulled a headband from her pocket, securing it around her neck. "What?"

The Demon smirked. "Devious little thing, aren't you? Making up stories just to talk me into bringing you along."

Kaoru scowled. "I wasn't making up stories!"

Zabuza raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh, really? Then what was that you were spouting about wanting to be a ninja? Hmm?"

"Whatev," she replied. "And, for the record, I would've followed you regardless of your answer, so don't start pointing fingers at me. Besides," Kaoru crossed her arms over her chest, "there are plenty of fingers I could point at you. For example, you made a vain and foolish attempt to assassinate the Mizukage; you very nearly got yourself killed by a well-known shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village; you--"

"Enough!" Zabuza said, cutting Kaoru off. "I've lived through it all, so I already know what I've done. Now shut up."

With a grin, Kaoru mimed zipping her lip and throwing away the key, knowing that the childish notion would make the Demon groan with frustration. She quite enjoyed bugging him, especially given his constant reactions to every little thing she did.

As the two left the village, Kaoru smirked inwardly. _This is gonna be so much fun._

* * *

As I'm sure you've noticed, Kaoru Akiyama isn't a real character in _Naruto_, and thus belongs to me. Kaoru Akiyama is, more-or-less, based on myself and the random little musings that go on inside my head. :) (Be very afraid. XD) "Kaoru" translates to "Fragrance," and "Akiyama" to "Autumn Mountain." In other words, "Fragrance of the Autumn Mountain." I quite like the sound of the name, and I'm very proud of my crazy little Kunoichi. Here's hoping you enjoyed this chapter. Now, please favorite and review! ;)


	2. Opposites

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Naruto, _or any of the _Naruto _characters used in this fic. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own any original characters that I choose to include, as well as any of my own original plot ideas.

**Chapter 2:** Opposites

**A/N:** Okay! New _Naruto _fic! Huzzah! For the record, I blame my _Naruto _games and manga. One minute, I'm reading the manga again during what free time I have, and the next thing I know, I'm sitting in front of the TV for three hours playing every freaking _Naruto_ game I own. -.- Ah, well. It's a phase, as usual. I'll get over it eventually. Though I hope that my _Naruto _obsession won't end before I finish this fic. If it does, then I'll have to wait until I become re-addicted to _Naruto_ again. Phases, on occasion, suck.

* * *

"So, where are we heading?" Kaoru said, finally breaking her silence as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her black pants. "We gonna go kill something?" She ignored the glare that Zabuza shot in her direction and kicked a dirt clod in his direction using the toe of her boot. As far as she was concerned, she'd kept quiet long enough. So, Zabuza could get the hell over it.

The Demon sighed, trying desperately to ignore her. He'd no fucking clue as to why he'd actually said "yes" to her constant nagging back in the village, but he was stuck with her. With little to no hope of getting her to find someone else for her to bother. And the way things seemed, he wouldn't be getting rid of her any time soon.

_Just don't say anything,_ he told himself. _If you keep your mouth shut, maybe she'll get tired of hearing herself talk._

Unfortunately, that thought was short-lived.

"Hey, you got some massive scar under there or something?" Kaoru asked, pointing at the bandages on Zabuza's face.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Like I said before," he muttered, "you really are an idiot. And to answer that ridiculous question... no. It's just better if people don't know what I look like, understand? It's not that difficult a concept to grasp.... Even for an idiot like you."

"If I'm an idiot," Kaoru snickered, "then why do I know everything and anything about you? Now, what say you to that?"

Zabuza smirked. "If that's the case, you're just an obsessive teenager with nothing better to do than brood over someone you've been dreaming about for years. In other words, you're a crazy little stalker with no sense of self-control, who's just desperate for someone to give you a little..." He paused, looking for the right word. "Attention."

Kaoru stopped in her tracks, eyes wide. She couldn't believe that Zabuza would even think of insinuating such a thing. Unless.... "Eww," she said, making a face. "I can't believe you said that. You're a sick bastard, aren't you? Holy shit! Now I know why you let me come with you! You old pervert!"

At her words, Zabuza nearly flipped the shit. "First of all," he said, kneeling down to her level, "I'm not old. And if you know 'everything' about me, like you claim, then you know that. And second, I'm not a pervert. I honestly couldn't care any less that you're that desperate for attention. So, if I were you, I'd keep my mouth shut and keep walking. Otherwise, I'll dismember you right now, and leave you here to rot. Understand?"

"Yeesh," Kaoru said to his back. "You're so mean. Can't you be a little nicer?"

"No. I'm an assassin, not a babysitter. And given that factor, 'nice' obviously isn't within my skill set. It's actually a miracle that that word's even in my vocabulary."

The young ninja rolled her eyes as she rubbed a smudge off of her headband with her shirt sleeve. "Pfft! I'm surprised you even know what vocabulary is," she muttered, using her headband in an attempt to shine sunlight into the rogue shinobi's eyes.

"Keep it up, and I'll take that away from you," Zabuza said curtly.

Quickly yanking a sheet of paper from the small backpack she wore, Kaoru sketched out a surprisingly accurate Zabuza chibi who was hanging by his neck from a tree. With a grin, Kaoru quickly continued to add more detail to this sketch, as doing so gave her a way to pass the time, as well as an outlet in which to expel her frustration with her humorless companion. Finally pleased with the several ninja tools that were now drawing blood from her dead chibi doodle, Kaoru stopped to place her newest creation inside her notebook.

As Kaoru opened the notebook, a gust of wind decided to arrive, sending her various drawings flying into a nearby tree. With a frustrated scowl, Kaoru quickly chased after, and captured, her runaway drawings, quickly securing them inside the folder before the wind could pick up again. Carefully placing the notebook back into her bag, a swift movement to the right caught Kaoru's eye.

"Hey!" she said, running to catch up with Zabuza. "Do you know that guy?"

The older shinobi scowled. "I don't have time for your stupid little spy games," he said.

"But I'm serious!!" Kaoru insisted, pointing towards the trees. "I saw some guy in a white mask over there!"

The instant the words left her mouth, a barrage of kunai knives flew from the trees, heading straight towards them. Without any sign of warning, Kaoru stretched her hands and fingers towards the projectiles, and began firing off the small bones in her fingertips. The bones quickly obliterated the oncoming assault, sending the knives hurtling to the ground as the assailant emerged from the trees. As the young ninja had previously explained, the man was wearing a white mask, the symbol of the Hidden Mist emblazoned upon the forehead.

A hunter-nin.

With a mighty leap, he rose high into the air, unleashing a second round of projectile weapons, senbon needles, with unbelievable speed and agility. Kaoru, easily matching the hunter's speed, mimiced his movements, once again firing off a rapid wave of several bones in his direction. Before he had time to react, the highly calcified bones struck the hunter's body, sending him sprawling to the ground in a bloody mess.

"There," the young shinobi scoffed with a smirk. "That should be enough to wipe him out."

Unbeknown to Kaoru, Zabzua was, in a word, completely dumbfounded by the girl's sudden display of natural talent. Clearly, her abilities exceeded even Haku's.

"I know what you're thinking," the teen said, turning to face the assassin. "You're wondering what the hell I just did. Or rather, 'what kind of justu was _that?!'"_

The Demon narrowed his gaze. "I'm not stupid," he sneered. "I _know _what jutsu you're using.... I just can't believe I'm actually seeing it..."

"I _told_ you I had a kekkei genkai," she retorted.

"That's not what I meant. How can you be using the Kaguya clan's kekkei genkai when you come from a completely different clan?"

The teen sighed and rolled her eyes. "My mother, Natsuki, was born into the Kagyua clan, okay? She was a user of the Shikotsumyaku, Dead Bone Pulse, but she kept it a secret, as she didn't want to end up being used as a weapon. Just before my mother died, she told me how she had escaped from the clan and took shelter Hidden Rain Village the year before the Kaguya clan was cut down to size. And it was there, in the Hidden Rain, that she met my father, Hiroto Akiyama."

Never, in his wildest dreams, did the Demon ever imagine he'd end up finding a descendant of the Hidden Mist's feared Kagyua clan. After the clan's elimination, it was unheard of for even a single shinobi with Kaguya blood to still exist. Much less a mere child off the street. This child would be far more useful to him than poor, gentle Haku. For Kaoru had every aspect of a true shinobi killer, and possessed no known qualms about taking a life.

The polar opposite of Haku.

"Leave him there," Zabuza said as Kaoru poked the hunter's bloodied corpse with the toe of her boot. "The rest of his squad will find him sooner or later, and I'd rather not be around when they show up."

Tilting her head curiously to the side, Kaoru knelt down beside the bloodied corpse and lifted the hunter's head, pulling off the mask to get a better look at his face. Drawing a kunai knife from her pocket, Kaoru tore through the soft skin of the hunter's face, completely marring his features before replacing the mask.

"Okay," she said, almost cheerily. "I'm done."

The Demon smirked. Truly, this child would become the weapon that Haku could not have been.

* * *

I intended for this to be a bit longer, but I ran out of ideas that would fit with this chapter. So, I'll keep my other ideas in reserve for the future of this story. ^-^ So, please, _please_ review and fave. Hope you enjoyed! ;D


	3. Assault

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Naruto, _or any of the _Naruto _characters used in this fic. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own any original characters that I choose to include, as well as any of my own original plot ideas.

**Chapter 3:** Assault

**A/N: **Wow. My muse just keeps on going. I'm actually rather surprised. I mean, I've actually completed a total of three fanfictions in one weekend, which doesn't usually happen, thanks to my awkward schedule. But, Spring Break is almost here for me, and I'm quite happy about that. ^-^ I was also reminded of a certain manga character who has a rather... interesting name. The character is from _Katekyo Hitman REBORN!_ (or just _REBORN!), _and her name is.... Shitpee. XDDDDDD I just can't say that with a straight face! XDD Okay, I'm done with my random author's rant. You may continue reading now. ^-^ Please enjoy!

* * *

They're watching me,_ he thought. _Fine! Let them watch. It won't make any difference once they're dead...

_"Hey, Hiro," he heard the boy behind him whisper to a friend. "You see that kid?"_

_Even without turning around, he knew that this Hiro had no idea who his friend was talking about, as he didn't answer immediately. Of course, that was to be expected. After all, he couldn't really expect his classmates to keep up with him or his reputation. For his abilities were far beyond the scope of their pitiful imaginations. But they'd only understand this once they got the chance to fight him. Then, and only then, would they learn what had taken root within his heart._

_"Which one, Akira?"_

_There was a sigh. "The one in front of me," Akira hissed._

_"Oh! Yeah, I see him. Why?"_

_"Well, this morning, my dad told me to watch out for him," came the reply. "Said that he's the monster who killed every member of last year's graduating class!"_

_He smirked, imagining the shocked look upon the other boy's face. They were both fools. If he could have his way, he'd show them what a 'monster' really was. Show them that a 'monster' wasn't some mythical creature of unknown size and origin, but something existed within one's heart that altered the way one perceived the concept of life and death. A perception that gave one power beyond that of any ordinary shinboi._

_"N-No way!" Hiro gasped. "He's the kid everyone in the village calls the 'Demon'?"_

_"Yup. That's him. The Demon of the Hidden Mist... Zabuza Momochi..."_

**0 -- 0 0 -- 0 0 -- 0**

"Hey... Hey!"

Zabuza turned away from the voice, trying to ignore the constant chattering that echoed in his ears. He wasn't ready to be pulled from the past yet. He hadn't killed them yet... He hadn't seen the fear on their faces and the fear of death in their eyes. His bloodlust would only be sated after re-living the moments in which he had crushed and obliterated, not only their bodies, but their hopes and dreams, and watching the life leave their eyes as their souls were given over to that dark abyss.

_Go away,_ he thought as he felt his mind slip back into that dark cacophony of dreams. _I'm not through here... Not yet..._

He had to prove to them, as he did every night, what true fear and helplessness was. What it really meant to lose all manner of hope and courage as they were locked into battle with a harbinger of death. But death had not overcome them yet. And as such, he refused to be parted from the memory until it had. And as the memory continued on, leading up to the moments before the final slaughter, something at the back of his mind managed to grab hold of a small part of the reality that surrounded him. The sound of someone's voice cut in, putting everything else on hold.

_Who the hell is that?_ he wondered. The voice was all-too familiar, but he couldn't find the name it went with, until...

"Wake up!!!"

The sound of roaring water filled his ears, and the Demon abruptly shot to his feet as Kaoru finished pouring a bucket of water over his head.

"What the hell?!" he roared, watching her roll around in the dirt as she laughed. "You think this is funny?!"

Kaoru, still clutching her ribs in a fit of hysterical laughter, nodded as best she could. "It's... It's...!"

The Demon ground his teeth together. As he remembered, Haku hadn't been this much of a pain in the ass, and he'd been even younger that Kaoru. He found it quite surprising that a shinobi of Kaoru's age, not to mention caliber, could be so immature. But then again.... he really should have expected as much, given the constant nagging she'd so "graciously" bestowed upon him back in the village.

Despite knowing how much of a help her kekkei genkai would be to him, he was still contemplating whether or not he should leave her lying in a ditch somewhere. Then again, that didn't seem like much of a possibility. For Kaoru seemed to be dead set upon following him, and something within the back of his mind told him that nothing he did would be enough to get rid of her. Hopefully, she'd quit being such a pain in the ass.

"Okay, okay," Kaoru said, trying to keep a straight face. "I'm sorry. It was a joke."

Zabuza rolled his eyes. He was a shinobi, not a fucking circus clown, and as such, the Demon didn't give a rat's ass about "jokes" and the like. As Kaoru stuffed her face into her bag to muffle her laughter, Zabuza realized that there was something oddly familiar about her. Something, or someone, he'd completely forgotten about. He wracked his brain, dying to know what the hell was so familiar about the girl. But after a few minutes, he gave in to the lost memory, dismissing it as something irrelevant.

"You don't think it was funny at all do you?" Kaoru asked incredulously.

The Demon sighed. The fact that she was asking such a question completely astounded him. She was either incapable of being serious, or just plain stupid. No... He took that last part back. It was painfully obvious that Kaoru was anything _but _stupid. Especially given her masterful display of discipline in the face of certain death. If he could somehow discipline her into taking things more seriously, then she could easily develop into the perfect killing machine.

Luckily for Zabuza, he didn't have the need to teach Kaoru any of the basics as he had taught Haku. For she clearly knew how to stand her own ground in battle, as well as perform jutsu, conserve and release chakra, and handle weapons. That made his job a great deal easier, and only left one thing for him to do: turn her into the heartless shinobi that Haku never could have become. After all, it was of great importance that he have as many skilled shinobi under his command if he were to take down the government in the Hidden Mist.

Without a word, Zabuza gathered up his pack and set off, once again, down the road, not even bothering to look if Kaoru was following. She could do as she liked, he'd decided. As useful as her talents would be in taking down the Hidden Mist's Mizukage, he wasn't requiring the girl to do anything. And if she chose to leave, then so be it. Such a decision on her part would, of course, bring a slight setback to his newly developed plans, but he'd surely find a way to make up for the loss of strength.

"So..." Kaoru began hesitantly, taking several steps to keep up with the Demon's longer stride. "How _did _you manage to escape from Kakashi?"

There was silence for a moment, and then, "I didn't."

The young shinobi scowled, unable to understand exactly why her companion wouldn't give her the answers she was looking for. With a shrug, Kaoru dismissed her curiosity from her mind, deciding to focus on something different.

_I wonder what kind of training this is gonna turn out to be, _she thought with a grin. _Some epic new jutsu, or maybe even assassination training, I hope._

As the sun moved higher into the sky, signaling noon, Kaoru began to grow bored of the silence that existed between herself and the Demon. Quite frankly, the horrible silence, which had lasted since around dawn that day, was beginning to drive the young ninja utterly insane. It was truly surprising, even to Kaoru, that she had managed to survive such a long time without speaking, but now, she was bored out of her damned mind. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Zabuza beat her to it.

"Who did you say your parents were again?" he asked, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

Kaoru's mind froze, utterly shocked that he was actually showing some genuine interest in her. She grinned. "Natsuki Kaguya, from the Hidden Mist, and Hiroto Akiyama, from the Hidden Rain. Why?"

The Demon simply shrugged. "Curiosity," he said plainly, as they crossed the border into the Land of the Waterfall.

_That's all it is,_ he told himself._ Curiosity... Nothing more, and nothing less..._

**0 -- 0 0 -- 0 0 -- 0**

_"Okay," one of the teachers, Izumo Sugisaki, said as he scribbled various names down on the clipboard he held in his hands. "Since this is your first day as Academy students, you will be divided up into pairs. You are to train only with your partner unless instructed otherwise. Not only will your partner be your training companion, but your roommate as well. Understood?"_

_Several small heads nodded in agreement. Izumo smirked, glancing at the children around the room. He hoped that this bunch would prove to be more promising than last year's. Especially given that the students of the previous year had all been slaughtered. And, ironically, the boy who had killed those students was sitting here today, having finally been acknowledged as being talented enough to enter the Academy for true shinobi training. _

_"All right," Izumo said. "Form a straight line, and wait until I, or one of the other teachers, call your name."_

_Numerous names were called before the young Zabuza was assigned a partner. "Zabuza Momochi," one of the other teachers said, as the boy stepped forward. "And Natsuki Kaguya."_

_Zabuza rolled his eyes. _Great,_ the eight-year-old thought. _I'm stuck with some stupid girl. No challenge whatsoever.

_He turned his head towards his partner and sighed. Natsuki Kaguya was a small, frail-looking girl, with white hair and blue eyes. In the eyes of the young demon, Natsuki didn't look like anything special. Even if she was a member of one of the Hidden Mist's most illustrious clans. _

_"Hi, there," the twelve-year-old said with a smile. "I guess we're partners."_

_Zabuza felt himself twitch. Not only was she some stupid girl, but she was also obnoxious as hell... and he hadn't even known her for more than two minutes. "Whatever," he sneered. "I know who you are, stupid. And since I'm stuck with you for the rest of the year, here's some advice: Don't slow me down. You're no good as a training partner if you're only going to be a liability."_

_Natsuki wrinkled her nose. "Well!" she said, making a face at him. "You don't have to be mean about it!"_

_The boy grinned, showing off his sharp little teeth. "And for the record, 'nice' isn't in my skill set. So, if I were you, I'd get used to it."_

**0 -- 0 0 -- 0 0 -- 0**

"You're lying."

Zabuza's eyes widened at the young ninja's sudden accusation. So what if he was lying? He didn't give a damn what she thought. Besides, he hadn't asked for an opinion. Kaoru had asked a question, and he'd answered as he had seen fit. And that, should have been enough to satisfy her.

The Demon scoffed. "And what if I am? There's nothing you can do to make me say anything. It's like you said back in the village, 'I do what I want, and everyone else gets the hell over it.'"

"You knew my mother," Kaoru said, as if she had read his thoughts. "There's no other reason you would have asked about my parents."

He smirked as they entered the Hidden Waterfall Village. "Either way, it's not your business, so shut up about it. I have no obligation to discuss my personal affairs with a wet-nosed brat like you. Now, hurry up," he said, as Kaoru bitterly lagged behind him. "We have business to attend to."

With a groan, Kaoru ran to catch up, following the Demon into a bar. "Another bar?" she whined. "What is with you and sake?! I can't believe--"

"Shut up," Zabuza said, clamping a hand over Kaoru's mouth. "I don't need you drawing attention to us. Now, go sit over there, and shut up." He lead her over to a table in the furthest corner of the bar, far from the door. "Stay here, and don't do anything stupid. I'll be back." And with that, the Demon headed out the door and down the street.

Kaoru, who seemed to be drawing the gazes of several men in the bar, sighed. "This is so lame," she said to herself, pulling her notebook out of her pack. "I mean, he brings me with him and then ditches me in a bar in the middle of a foreign country. Thanks a lot, chief."

Bitterly muttering to herself, Kaoru began to draw, trying to pass the time until Zabuza returned. Page after page soon became filled with numerous sketches of anything the young ninja could think of, ranging anywhere from animals to even the most random objects. As Kaoru completed her sketch of a toaster, she heard the sound of boots thumping against the floor. The footsteps drew nearer, but Kaoru refused to look up.

"Hey, girlie," a voice said.

Kaoru glanced up to see a sleazy man sitting across from her, a twisted grin plastered on his face. He, too, appeared to be a shinobi, as he had his headband, which was emblazoned with the Hidden Grass Symbol, tied to his neck. She glared at him, hoping he'd get the picture and leave her alone. When he didn't seem to get the picture, Kaoru rolled her eyes at him.

"What do you want, faggot?" she hissed, stuffing her notebook into her pack. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

The man's grin grew wider and his eyes narrowed. "Busy? You don't look too busy. So, I thought you might want a bit of company."

Those words had told Kaoru everything. This fool thought she was an easy target, be he was greatly mistaken. With a smile, Kaoru slowly drew a kunai knife from her side pouch, clutching it tightly as she spoke. "Oh, really? Well, I must say, that's very kind of you. But there's nothing to worry about. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go meet up with my companion."

As Kaoru slid out of her seat, and started for the door, the man jumped in front of her, grabbing her shoulders. "Hey, what's the rush?" he said, throwing an arm over her shoulder. "We haven't even been acquainted yet. So, how about we go... hang out for a while? What do you say?"

"I don't think so," Kaoru replied, drawing her kunai knife. "I've got better things to do than entertain a horny fool like you."

At her words, the man's grin vanished, his eyes becoming feral. "That's too bad," he said, waving at someone across the bar. Another man, about twice the size of Kaoru, approached, lifting the young ninja over his shoulder as he followed his friend into one of the back rooms. Kaoru heard the door slam behind them, and the large man threw her to the floor.

"Now then," the smaller man said, tying Kaoru's hands behind her back. "Let's have a little fun."

Before the man could make a move, Kaoru screamed and flipped backwards, kicking the man in the face. "Don't underestimate me, assholes," she sneered. "I'm your worst nightmare."

Kaoru's bones began protruding from her flesh, severing the ropes that had kept her bound. She raised her hands towards the men, the bones from her wrists extending out over her hands to create two calcified blades. She leaped, bashing the larger man in the face with her knee, and delivering a large gash to his shoulder. The man screamed in pain, and fell backwards through the door. The smaller man, who had recovered from her first attack, began weaving hand signs. Kaoru smirked, and fired off her fingertip bones at the man, penetrating his hands.

"I already warned you," she said as the man backed towards the window, "you can't beat me. And now, if you don't mind, I'll take my leave." Kaoru grinned. "Thank you, gentlemen, for a lovely time."

* * *

Okay! It's finished! :D And I don't think my _Naruto _phase will end anytime soon. Especially since I've been reading the manga nonstop and watching _Naruto_ and _Naruto Shippuden _episodes since my Spring Break began on Thursday (I stayed up until 1 am this morning watching _Naruto_ ^-^'). Here's hoping you enjoyed this chapter. :) I hope you'll all continue to read, enjoy, and review.


	4. To the Hidden Mist

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Naruto, _or any of the _Naruto _characters used in this fic. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own any original characters that I choose to include, as well as any of my own original plot ideas.

**Chapter 4:** To the Hidden Mist

**A/N: **Yagura, the Jinchuriki of the Three-Tailed Turtle, makes an appearance in this chapter. And if you don't know who Yagura is, or what he looks like, you should Google "Yagura Naruto," and click on the naruto wikia link. Anyway, it's assumed that Yagura is the Mizukage that Zabuza attempted to assassinate, which is pretty cool. :)

* * *

_That was a nice little workout, _Kaoru thought with a grin as she returned to the table. _It's been a while since I got to do anything that fun. I wonder how Zabuza's gonna take the news. Maybe I'll finally get his respect at last!_

Kaoru was quite proud of her accomplishment, and was eager to show her true colors in yet another battle. Hopefully, that time would come soon. It had been quite some time since she had been in a real fight, and she was itching to draw more blood.

"What're you so happy about?" Zabuza demanded when he returned to the bar. There were several shinobi on his heels, and all of them seemed to be in shock that the Demon of the Hidden Mist was towing around a kid like Kaoru.

Kaoru ignored the nasty glares they shot at her, giving Zabuza a shrug. "Well, I'll have you know that two douche bags decided it'd be fun to play 'games' with me, and--"

"Forget I asked," he said, assuming the worst. "I don't want to know what the hell you got yourself into."

Rolling her eyes, Kaoru grabbed him tightly by the arm. "You pervert!" she shot back. "I didn't do _that _kind of thing! They tried to manhandle me, so I kicked their asses and killed them. Duh!! Yeesh, you're such a perv!!"

The Demon grabbed her by the pack and dragged her out of the bar. "Good for you," he muttered sarcastically. "Now shut your mouth. We're leaving."

The group of shinobi, led by Zabuza and Kaoru, headed out of the village and into the forest, leaping through the trees until they reached a clearing. Several large trees obscured the sky from view, and the branches and bushes seemed as though they would serve as a temporary barrier while the group conducted their meeting. Having received a signal from their leader, five of the twelve shinobi began planting traps around the clearing, in case anyone unwanted visitors came along.

"Our objective," Zabuza said, "is to take out the Mizukage. Once we arrive, we take his head, and get out. When the government collapses, we'll be no more than a stone's throw away from restoring balance to the nation. Then, and only then, will we be free to construct an army of skilled shinobi to take down Konoha and the Land of Fire."

Kaoru smirked. "Good plan, but I think it's going to take more than fourteen shinobi to take down the Mizukage," she said, referring to the current number of their group. "After all, he is the Jinchuriki of the Three-Tailed beast. A man like Yagura won't die so easily."

One of the other shinobi, a blond man with a large scar over his left eye, and the right side of his mouth stitched up, sneered. "Shut your mouth, you impudent brat," he barked. "Do you even know who it is you're speaking to?"

Just looking at the man made Kaoru sick. His presence alone was enough to make her want to kill him. And there was no doubt in her mind that Zabuza would let it slide if she took the fool's life. And that only gave her another reason to want to kill him. But, she decided, to bide her time. Wait it out, let the loudmouthed fool make the first move. Then, and only then, would she teach him the true meaning of fear. He'd end up worse off than the Grass shinobi who had assaulted her at the bar.

The young ninja grinned, mocking the man who had called her out. "As a matter of fact, I do," she said nonchalantly. "But the question is... do you?"

"Foolish brat!" the man cried, taking hold of the katana strapped to his back. "You should learn to respect your elders, young lady. Otherwise, you'll find yourself within a world of hurt!"

The man leaped towards Kaoru, sword drawn and ready to strike at a moment's notice. Kaoru calmly stood her ground as she inspected her fingernails. She knew that Zabuza wouldn't let this man lay a hand on her, even if she was at fault here. After all, she had seen, in his eyes, the interest he had in her kekkei genkai. And with such a skilled ninja on his side, she knew that nothing would be able to harm her. Even if he didn't step in. With a smirk, Kaoru flipped out of the man's reach, egging him on with her laughter.

Eye burning with fury, he rushed her again, creating clones in a desperate attempt to distract her. Kaoru turned, kunai in hand, stabbing the man in the arm as he came up behind her with his katana. The clones dissipated, leaving Kaoru and her attacker in the midst of the group of rogue shinobi. The others watched the scuffle with curiosity; watching to see if Kaoru really stood a change against one of their own.

"You're going to die here," she said, staring into the man's good eye. "You stand no chance against me." Kaoru shoved a hand in front of the man's face. "Let me show you," she said as a bone protruded from her palm, "what true strength is."

With a growl, the man threw blood into Kaoru's eyes, blinding her temporarily as he attempted to make his final move.

"Enough, Kaito," the Demon said, swinging his sword at the man's throat. "In terms of authority, you have none, and as such, have no right to question anything this girl says."

With a growl, Kaito sheathed his katana, consenting to the Demon's leadership. "Of course," he spat, glowering at Kaoru with malice.

"Understand this," Zabuza growled to his followers. "My word is law. Should any of you so much as question or lay a hand on this child, you'll lose more than just your life. In any case, her life alone is worth more than yours." Kaoru felt the Demon's hand on her head. "You will treat her with the same respect you give to me. Is that understood?!"

Another shinobi, around Kaoru's age, snickered. "And if we don't?"

In the blink of an eye, the man's head had fallen to the ground, severed by the Demon's blade. "Any more stupid questions?"

**0 -- 0 0 -- 0 0 -- 0**

The mist rolled over the landscape, thick as blood, the wind carrying it across the village of the Hidden Mist. Children, of all ages, roamed the streets as they scoured for food and shelter. The constant prattle of excited Academy students could be heard through the dense fog as they went on with their lessons, and merchants and villagers bargained and haggled over prices. In the Village of the Hidden Mist, the people were poor, and, more often than not, lived under adverse conditions.

But that, at the moment, was irrelevant. For the past six years, he village had been expecting a war at any given moment, as the rogue shinobi, and Demon of the Hidden Mist, Zabuza Momochi, still roamed free throughout the surrounding lands. And although the Land of Water was isolated from the other nations by the sea, it was known that nothing, not even the sea, would be enough to stop the Demon from returning to take the life of the village's kage.

"Lord Mizukage," Makoto Inoue said, falling into a bow. "I have terrible news."

Truly, Yagura had no interest in news and the like. He would only be satisfied once the Demon of his land had been extinguished from existence. But, try as he might, the rogue shinobi had escaped from Yagura's grasp time and time again, only to return. Sand-blond hair moved quietly with the wind as deep violet eyes stared out over the village.

"What is it, Makoto?" Yagura replied, maintaining his focus. It annoyed the kage to no end when he was interrupted, but his duties came before his own enjoyment. With a sigh, he turned to his advisor, meeting the young shinobi's gaze. "What news have you brought me?"

The dark-haired shinobi remained on one knee at the feet of his kage. "My Lord," he said, "we've just received word from our ANBU unit dispatched in the Hidden Waterfall Village. One of our captains has spotted Zabuza Momochi, and a small group of other traitors, just outside the village. All of the shinobi accompanying him have been identified, save for one: a young girl."

Yagura gave his adviser his undivided attention. "Is there any idea as to who this child may be?"

"It is only an assumption, my Lord, but yes. It is believed that this child is a direct descendant of the Kaguya clan. Her name is unknown, but, in a battle with two Grass ninja, she was seen using the Kaguya clan's legendary Shikotsumyaku ability."

The kage grinned. "So, our old friend has found himself another weapon, has he? Well then, it seems we shall need to separate them before they reach our village. Makoto, send word to the ANBU unit posted in the Hidden Waterfall Village. Inform them that they are to separate Zabuza from this child as soon as possible, and bring the child before me."

The shinobi bowed his head. "Yes, my Lord. Consider it done," he said, vanishing.

"You shall not have your way, Demon," Yagura muttered. "Only one of us can walk out of this unscathed... And I assure you, I shall not be the one to fall."

**0 -- 0 0 -- 0 0 -- 0**

Kaoru grinned. "You know," she said, turning to Kaito as the group sped through the forest, "even if you had managed to attack me, your blade never would have met its mark. After all, I'm far too strong for someone like you take down. You just don't know it yet."

"Foolish brat!" he snapped. "What makes you think you could possibly defeat me?! Your pathetic illusions didn't fool me for a second!"

The young ninja laughed, noting the irritated look in Zabuza's eyes. Just as she had planned. Kaoru's only reason for speaking to Kaito in the first place, was to get him to say something that would piss Zabuza off, thus resulting in Kaito getting his head taken off... Or something along those lines. It didn't really matter to her what happened to that loudmouth Kaito, as long as he couldn't open his mouth again.

"You've got it all wrong, Kaito. I don't _think_ I can defeat you... I _know _I can. After all..." Kaoru shot off several bones from her fingers, lodging them in the bark of one of the trees. "I have the Kaguya clan's blood in my veins! You wouldn't last five minutes against me!"

The man's eyes narrowed. He couldn't believe the nerve of this brat. Egging him on like this, knowing that he'd respond to her challenges. "Stupid girl. There's no way you, or anyone for that matter, could have Kaguya blood. The clan was finally obliterated seven years ago, and cut down to a handful twelve years before that! So, don't start going off about possessing Kaguya blood. I already told you, you're not fooling anyone with illusions and lies like that," he said, referencing her display of Shikotsumyaku. "There's no way a brat like you could have Kaguya blood."

_Let him think what he wants, _Kaoru mused. _That fool will regret his words in the end... Once we get to the Hidden Mist, I'll destroy him, and smear his blood on the walls! Him and anyone else who gets in my way!_

Zabuza picked up on the bloodlust radiating from the young shinobi. It was enough to tell him that Kaito wouldn't last through the operation. He'd be dead the moment he set foot inside the village. The Demon grinned. It seemed that his decision to bring Kaoru along had been correct. Although she was causing trouble within the group, her abilities far surpassed the combined powers of his followers.

For the next three days, the group headed for the Land of Water, the hatred between Kaoru and Kaito growing all the while. The two seemed to compete over everything, and the rest of the group, save Zabuza, seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. Several scuffles ensured between the two each time they stopped to take rest. And Zabuza, who had grown tired of the ordeal, would have left Kaito to rot numerous times, had he not relinquished his claim on Kaito's life to Kaoru. On the third night of travel, the mass of shinobi, which had grown to a group of about fifty, entered the Hidden Mist Village, weapons and jutsu prepared to strike down all who stood in their way.

Without a word, the group scattered throughout the village to ensure that any ANBU black ops that might be posted around the village would be distracted from the chaos that would soon ensue within the Mizukage's mansion. As the shinobi scattered, Zabuza, and a handful of others, waited at the village gate for Kaoru, who had vanished into the forest with Kaito.

"Nothing to worry about," she said upon her return. Blood could be seen on her hands, even through the heavy mist that had descended upon the village. "That fool never knew what hit him."

"Once we're within the mansion, we scatter," Zabuza instructed. "Should you run across Yagura, give the signal, and stall him long enough for me to arrive. Understood? Now, move!"

**0 -- 0 0 -- 0 0 -- 0**

"Of all the places for Granny Tsunade to send us on a mission, it had to be this place," Naruto Uzumaki sighed as he trudged through the forest outside the Hidden Mist Village. "I don't wanna be here choking to death in this fog! I wanna be at Ichiraku with Iruka Sensei!"

Naruto sighed again. He was cold, tired, hungry, and his feet hurt like hell after walking around for almost three days. Even after taking one boat to the Land of Waves, and a second to reach the Land of Water, the teen was sincerely exhausted. He leaned against a nearby tree, whining and miming starvation as his comrades looked on.

The only female of the group, Sakura Haruno, scowled. She couldn't believe that Naruto was throwing a fit, now of all times, when they were supposed to be undercover. "Naruto," she scolded, "shut up! We're on a mission, and if you screw it up, I'm gonna strangle you!!"

"Now, now, children," their sensei, Kakashi Hatake, said. "No fighting. We don't want to blow our cover. Remember, our objective is to aid and protect the Mizukage. After all, Lady Tsudade did say that Lord Yagura feared an attempt on his life from a well-known assasin. Now then, Naruto, you take the left side, Sakura, you take the right. Sai, you'll cover me from behind. Now, let's--"

A scream came from Sakura's mouth as the group came across a mutilated corpse hanging from a tree. "K-Kakashi Sensei...!"

"It looks like they've been here," Sai said, swiftly investigating the corpse. The young shinobi dipped a couple of fingers in the fluid that leaked from the body, bringing the fingers close to his nose. He scowled, wiping the blood on the grass at his feet. "This is fresh blood, so there are only two options here. They're either within the village at this moment, or they're planning an attack. But the first being the more likely of the two. I suggest we move."

_They're close,_ Kakashi thought, dashing through the trees towards the village.

"Naruto, Sakura, Sai! Let's move! We're almost there!"

**0 -- 0 0 -- 0 0 -- 0**

The darkened halls of the Mizukage's illustrious mansion were eerily quiet as the Demon crept through the corridors. Guards were nowhere in sight, and there was no sign of traps anywhere. The infiltration of the mansion had gone smoothly, but this odd silence was just too much. There was no way that a man like Yagura would call off all guards and traps without reason. It just wasn't like him. Moving silently, Zabuza continued his advance, searching every room he came across for any sign of his target. This time, Yagura wouldn't escape. He would die where he stood.

After having moved through two floors of the mansion, the Demon finally came across a small number of ANBU black ops patrolling a hallway with a single door located at the far end. Finally, something interesting was going to happen. As the mist continued to move along outside, the moon became visible for brief intervals, shining through the windows and skylight within the darkened hallway. The Demon smirked, knowing that it would be foolish to attempt to take on numerous black ops without a bit of a distraction first.

Weaving a number of hand signs, a group of seven water clones appeared, each armed with several explosive tags, kunai, and smoke bombs. The time had finally come. This was the moment he had waited seven years for. The clones rushed around the corner, each one targeting one of the black ops. Several shouts echoed through the hallway as the assault continued. At the first sign of a smoke bom, Zabuza rushed forward, blade drawn, and cut straight through his clones and the black ops members. Their damaged and bloodied bodies crumpled to the floor in a heap, giving Zabuza full access to Yagura's hiding place.

The Demon kicked the door in, his dark eyes scanning every inch of the room as he entered. "Who's hunting who?"

"It's been a long time... Demon," Yagura said as he dropped his cloaking jutsu. "I must say, I'm quite impressed. I really never thought you'd make it this far," he mocked, glowering fiercely at the assassin.

The Demon locked eyes with his prey, swinging his sword onto his shoulder with ease as he spoke. "This isn't the time for jokes, Yagura." he said, circling around the Mizukage. "I'm on a tight schedule, so let's make this quick, shall we? I'm a busy man, and I don't have nearly as much time to toy with you as I'd like."

Yagura grinned, his violet eyes flashing in the moonlight that came through the window. "Why, of course. But before we get to it, please allow me to speak. Your attempts at an ambush are admirable, and you might have caught me off guard if one of my ANBU squadrons hadn't caught sight of you in the Hidden Waterfall Village. Unfortunately, they lost track of you two days ago, which would explain why you're standing here now. But don't get too comfortable. For this is the last time we meet... I'm sorry to say, I'm taking you out... Demon!"

"If you really want to kill someone, Yagura, kill them. Don't stand around talking about it and exploiting your methods. It makes you seem weak, you know," Zabuza growled. "The time for talk is over. You're goind to die here!"

Having heard the sound of the paper bombs from the other side of the masion, Kaoru rushed through the halls, making it to the Demon's side as he swung his blade. The sound of singing steel echoed through the room, and Zabuza found himself face to face with a man he'd never expected to see again. The utterly naive bastard who'd foiled his attempts three years prior.

"Well, I'll be damned..." a familiar voice said. "I never thought I'd see your face again. To be perfectly honest, I thought you'd moved on."

The Demon scowled. "Kakashi Hatake... Are you still towing those no-talent brats around?" Zabuza laughed, taking note that Kakashi was alone as Kaoru circled the Konoha shinobi. "It's too bad, really. I was actually hoping that, if we ever met again, I'd have the pleasure of killing the fox boy. It's truly unfortunate that you've come here alone, Kakashi. As I've found a child more promising than even Haku... And now, you die!"

As Kaoru charged, she leaped up, firing off several rounds of bones at Kakashi, who dodged them with ease. "It won't be that easy," she snapped, pulling a bone sword from her palm. "You can't escape... my kekkei genkai!" There was a cry of pain as Kaoru's bone sword penetrated Kakashi's shoulder, blood spatter flying across the walls. "Now do you understand? You can't win!"

Pulling up the left side of his headband with his good hand, Kakashi's Sharingan began to spin as it analyzed Kaoru's movements. The young shinobi jumped back out of range, having anticipated Kakashi's attempt to stab her with a kunai knife. There was no time for the Konoha shinobi tend to his wounded shoulder, as either Kaoru or Zabuza could strike him at any given moment. From the corner of his eye, Kakashi saw the Demon move, catching Yagura by the throat with a powerful grip.

The Konoha shinobi turned his attention back to Kaoru, who had drawn a second bone sword from out of her arm. "I... can't believe this..." Kakashi gasped. "Your technique, it's... that of the Kaguya clan!"

"That's right," Kaoru said, acknowledging Kakashi's statement. "I'm the last direct descendant of the Kaguya clan: Kaoru Akiyama!"

A loud crash sounded, and Naruto flew like a wildman through the window, Sakura and Sai on his heels. "Kakashi Sensei!" Naruto shouted, eyes wide in surprise. It didn't seem possible that his sensei, wielder of the legendary Sharingan eye, could have sustained such a wound in a scuffle with a kid his own age. "Sakura, you take care of Kakashi Sensei! I'll handle this guy!"

Naruto flinched as a shuriken grazed the side of his face. "I'm not a boy," Kaoru hissed, flinging several more shuriken at him as she charged. "I'm a girl... who's gonna beat your ass into the ground!!"

Kaoru let loose a string of kunai knives and senbon needles, forcing Naruto to think on his feet. The young Konoha ninja summoned a large amount of chakra to his feet, enabling him to cling to the ceiling as the barrage of ninja weapos impaled the floor where he had previously been standing. Naruto turned toward Kaoru, who had now started her charge, bone swords poised and ready to slice him to ribbons.

_Damn, _Naruto thought. _She's got the same power as that Kimimaro guy who took Sasuke away! Using her bones as weapons! But I can't give in... I can't die here! If I do... I'll never be able to rescue Sasuke!!_

"Get back, Naruto!" Sai shouted, jumping up and intercepting Kaoru's blows with his own sword. "You protect the Mizukage! I'll handle this one..."

Naruto nodded turned to find a beaten and bloodied Yagura being held against the wall by Zabuza. "Now, what it you were saying about taking me out?" Zabuza growled, glowering at the trembling man. "Like I said before, you're going to--!"

Once again being forced to think on his feet, Naruto summoned his shadow clones to spin the chakra that had manifested in his right hand. "RASENGAN!!" Naruto cried as he charged at the Demon, his swirling chakra slamming into the wall as Zabuza evaded the attack. "Don't worry," Naruto said as Yagura slid down the wall. "I'll handle him!"

_It's him! The Nine-Tails brat!_

"You lousy creep!" Naruto screamed, glowering at the Demon. "After everything that's happened, you still don't get it! You're still taking innocent lives and dragging everyone into your stupid games! What you said after Haku died... you didn't mean any of it, did you?!"

Zabuza glowered at Naruto, wishing that the boy would just keep his mouth shut. "Stop your whining... Now, get out of the way, boy. Unless you want to die..."

"If anyone's gonna die here, it's you!" Naruto shot back angrily. "A scumbag like you doesn't deserve to be called a ninja!! I'm gonna take you down! And you'd better believe it!"

* * *

Yes, shocking, I know. For Naruto and his team to show up was quite the unexpected turn of events. I'm glad I was able to update twice today. :) Hope you guys enjoyed this. I'm getting excited already, thinking about what I'm gonna do next. Please keep reading, and review!


	5. Flight

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Naruto, _or any of the _Naruto _characters used in this fic. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own any original characters that I choose to include, as well as any of my own original plot ideas.

**Chapter 5:** Flight

**A/N: **I just can't stop writing! XD I'm enjoying this story so much! And I hope that my readers are enjoying it just as much! It's moving along a little quicker than I'd expected, but it shouldn't end any time soon. After all, there is still much more work that needs to go into the plot. Please continue reading! ;D

* * *

"Who do you think you're talking to, boy?" Zabuza snapped, pointing his blade at Naruto. "You're as deluded and naive as you were three years ago. It'd be wise of you to move, boy. I'm not here to kill you just yet. Now, stand aside!"

Naruto's blue eyes narrowed, and a grin crossed his features. "Hah! You expect me to stand aside just like that? Don't make me laugh! I've sworn to protect the Mizukage, even if it costs me my life... and I never go back on my word! You got that?"

The Demon sighed, quickly formulating a plan to kill Yagura without destroying Naruto. "Like I said in the Land of Waves, your kind aren't called 'ninja' here. Your appearance may have changed, but on the inside, you're still the same pathetic brat from before. All this time has passed, and it seems you haven't grown up at all. Maybe that's why your precious comrade decided to leave your pathetic village behind for Orochimaru."

Naruto felt his body twitch. He knew Sasuke better than anyone else did; better than anyone else ever could. The two of them were alike, after all. Growing up alone, with no parents or real friends to speak of. The only real difference between them, was that Sasuke had known the love of a family before the tragedy that befell the Uchiha clan. Naruto, on the other hand, had only known resentment and ridicule... until Iruka had come along. But even now, in the heat of battle, Naruto refused to believe that Sasuke had left the village for something as meaningless as power. And nobody was about to tell him otherwise.

"Shut your mouth!" Naruto cried, summoning shadow clones as he rushed at Zabuza. "You don't know anything about me! And you don't know anything about Sasuke, either! I'm gonna bring him back to Konoha even if it kills me!"

As Naruto and his shadow clones drew nearer, Zabuza swung his sword, eliminating the clones and badly wounding Naruto. The blond shinobi stumbled backwards, clutching his wound as he hit the wall with a cry. He couldn't... wouldn't let himself be killed here. Once again, Naruto summoned his shadow clones, taking a moment to summon chakra to his feet in advance. Drawing a kunai knife and several shuriken, Naruto lunged forward, flinging the shuriken one by one at Zabuza. The Demon easily evaded the attack, failing to notice the wire that Naruto had quickly tied to them.

Naruto's shadow clones charged, successfully distracting Zabuza as Naruto flung his kunai knife at his opponent. The kunai knife hit its mark, spilling blood as Naruto, now accompanied by Sakura, pulled on the wire, trapping Zabuza within the well-designed web. Sakura lunged forward, focusing chakra into her hand as she ran. Drawing her fist back, Sakura let loose a loud cry, connecting the chakra-infused blow to Zabuza, who flew straight through the mansion's wall and down into the streets of the Hidden Mist.

"Nice move, Sakura," Naruto said, giving her a thumbs-up. "Without your help, that wouldn't have gone so smoothly!"

Sakura smiled. "Thanks. But I wouldn't have been able to pull it off without your wire trick. Now, let's go get him!"

The two shinobi leaped out of the hole in the wall, leaving Kakashi to protect Yagura, and Sai to fend off Kaoru.

"We really should stop this all this fighting," Sai said calmly. "It's really not going to get us anywhere."

Kaoru scowled. "Shut up!"

There was a loud clang as Sai's sword connected with Kaoru's. The young Mist ninja scowled at the Root member, as she fired a barrage of ribs at him. Sai quickly dodged several of the blows after being struck in the shoulder. Kaoru weaved a flurry of hand signs, summoning several water clones. The clones advanced on the Konoha ninja, trapping him in a corner. With a slight smirk, Sai quickly grabbed a brush pen and a scroll, and began drawing out a large number of lions.

As the young Konoha shinobi removed the pen from the scroll, the beasts leaped off the page, roaring to life. The water clones quickly began to go after the drawn beasts, only to be repelled by their magnificent power.

"Damn," Kaoru muttered, taking a few steps towards the window.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Kakashi said from behind her, Lightning Blade ablaze. "I'd surrender if I were you. You wouldn't want to end up like Zabuza's last apprentice, Haku, would you?"

Kaoru simply laughed. "Take your best shot, fool! A jutsu like that will never be able to kill me! I have Kaguya blood in my veins, remember?"

"So be it!"

**0 -- 0 0 -- 0 0 -- 0**

"Do you see him, Naruto?" Sakura said, trying to find their target in the dense mist.

The blond sighed. "No. I can't see anything," he said, shaking his head. He couldn't even see his own hand in front of his face, let alone see Zabuza. "But he's out here somewhere. I just know it."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Well, of course he's out here, Naruto. I knocked him straight through the wall!"

_Stupid kids,_ the Demon mused bitterly. _They don't stand a chance out here in the open. And it seems they've forgotten how I made a name for myself on the field of battle._

As the Konoha ninjas continued their search for the assassin, the mist around them seemed to grow thicker and colder with every step they took. Even the light wind, that swept through the silent village streets, wasn't enough to lift the fog that so easily obscured their vision. A scream suddenly echoed through the streets; a scream that Naruto immediately recognized as Sakura's. He ran through the streets in the direction the scream had come from, hoping that he wasn't too late.

"Sakura? Sakura!"

As the young shinobi ran, he tripped, landing face-first in something wet and warm. Sitting up, Naruto wiped the wetness off his face, trying to rid himself of the sickening smell that had infiltrated his nose. As he cleaned himself off, he soon came to realize that the moisture he had landed in was blood. More than likely, Sakura's blood to be exact.

"What the hell have you done to Sakura?" he cried into the darkness. "Where is she?"

The sound of approaching footsteps sounded behind him, and Naruto spun around, hoping to find Sakura and the monster who had attacked her. Deciding to follow the sound of the footsteps, Naruto proceeded forward, creating shadow clones for backup. As he walked further and further into the mist, the footsteps stopped, and he heard someone collapse. He rushed forward and came across Sakura, who had been brutally attacked. Picking her up off the ground, Naruto deduced that she had several broken bones, and that she had been knocked unconscious.

"Sakura..." he growled, anger and frustration flooding through him as he held his comrade close. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry I couldn't protect you..."

Zabuza, who had skillfully hidden himself within the mist, could almost see poor Naruto fussing over his wounded comrade. It seemed that the easiest way to make the boy lose all judgement and common sense in the face of adversity, was to harm those he held close to him. And for a shinobi of the Demon's caliber, succeeding in such things was second-nature. Several water clones, created out of the airborne liquid within the thick mist in order to conserve chakra, took form around Naruto and his fallen teammate, prepared to strike at the given moment.

_I'd hoped to postpone our battle until my attack on your precious Konoha, _Zabuza grinned as his clones moved in for the kill. _But nothing ever follows the plan to __perfection. This is the end, fox-boy._

As the clones closed in on Naruto and Sakura, the blond shinobi's body began glowing a bloody red as his chakra began covering his body. His eyes, filled with rage, were now able to see through the mist around him as the clones approached. Sakura still in his arms, Naruto began to spin, disrupting the jutsu that held the clones together. Once the clones had dissipated, Naruto let loose an ear-splitting roar and charged towards the mansion, intent on getting Sakura medical attention instead of capturing his prey.

_We're not finished,_ Naruto thought, running through the mansion hallways as the fox's chakra began to subside. _There's no way I'm gonna let you forget what you said on the bridge! The next time we meet... I'll kill you!_

**0 -- 0 0 -- 0 0 -- 0**

Kakashi lunged forward, his Lightning Blade catching Kaoru's left leg as she hurriedly jumped to avoid being slaughtered by the attack. Blood fell to the floor from her wound, and Sai attempted to intercept the young assassin. Now desperate to escape, Kaoru flung kunai knives and bones at the now unconscious Yagura, distracting Kakashi and Sai as she leaped out the broken window, vanishing into the thickening mist. As Kaoru landed upon the ground, she felt a powerful wave of pain in her leg. Even without looking, Kaoru knew that Kakashi's attack had done significant damage to her leg. Damage that would take several days to repair and heal.

Reaching into her pack, Kaoru withdrew a bandanna that would serve as a tourniquet for the wound until she could stop to use proper medical tools or ninjutsu. Despite the pain that came and went, Kaoru urged herself to move forward to meet up with the rest of her group at the forest's edge.

Keep going, she told herself as she felt her body's movements slowing down. Keep going! There's no time to sit around and recooperate from an attack, no matter how severe the damage! There's a schedule to keep, dammit! I... I can't be the only one... to be left behind... Not this time...! I won't... be left...

Only seconds after Kaoru felt her body hit the ground, she felt herself being picked up. Air began rushing through her hair as her eyes slowly began to open. In a daze, she managed to make out several upside-down trees that were flying along behind her, signaling to her brain that she was, somehow, moving. Although she couldn't, at the moment, comprehend how her body was in motion, she found it relaxing. It felt as though she were being carried through the forest without a care in the world.

As Kaoru began drifting off again, she felt the pain in her leg act up again, suddenly jolting her awake. She cringed, reaching for the now bloodied bandanna that hung from the wound. Grasping one corner of the cloth in her hand, Kaoru gave it a firm tug that sent another wave of pain up her leg. Kaoru turned her head, moving her leg slightly so she could get a better look at the damage that had been done. Her leg, it seemed, had been badly mangled by the Konoha jonin's violent attack. A large portion of muscle had fallen away, which explained Kaoru's difficulty moving during her escape. Something would have to be done to repair the damage soon.

"You're awake," she heard Zabuza say from above.

Kaoru nodded, suddenly realizing that the Demon was carrying her under his arm. "What happened? How'd we get out of there?"

"You passed out," came the reply.

"And Yagura...?"

Kaoru could almost see the pleasure in Zabuza's eyes as he spoke. "You did your job. Yagura's dead."

The young shinobi grinned. She should have expected as much from a man like Zabuza. Clearly, he wasn't a man who minced words, which further explained his less-than-detailed response to her questions. Another wave of pain caused Kaoru to shake, and, slowly, she felt herself fading as the whisper of the trees flooded her ears.

* * *

Huzzah! Chapter 5 is completed! I'm proud of how this turned out, but I feel like the Mizukage's death is kind of early in the story. Oh, well. I'll probably be taking a little more time in future chapters to flesh out some more characters and such. Thanks for reading! Please review!


	6. Friendship

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Naruto, _or any of the _Naruto _characters used in this fic. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own any original characters that I choose to include, as well as any of my own original plot ideas.

**Chapter 6:** Friendship

**A/N: **Okay! This time, I'm introducing a few more characters, as I mentioned at the end of the previous chapter. I'm probably going to spend a few chapters working out these new characters, as well as fleshing out the main plot of this fanfic.

* * *

"Hey, hey! You okay?"

Kaoru rolled over, intent on ignoring whoever it was that was talking to her. She groaned as someone poked her in the side with a twig. The young shinobi had no desire to be poked and prodded; nor did she want to wake up. She wanted to return to the nonsensical dream world that had previously occupied her mind, not wake up and stare life in the face. Deciding she was too tired to do something so bothersome at the moment, Kaoru rolled over, pulling the blanket tightly around her shuddering little body.

The poking continued, and Kaoru gave her silent consent. They could poke her all they liked, she decided with a smile, swatting the stick out of the person's hand. They'd just have to find another stick, to poke her with is all. The obnoxious action subsided, and Kaoru curled herself into a ball at the base of, what she thought to be, a tree. Upon further inspecting said tree, Kaoru came to a sudden, sound resolution, despite her her current state of drowsiness.

_Trees don't have feet... or wear boots...._

"What the hell are you doing? Planning some kind of sexual assault, are we?"

Kaoru twitched. There was no way she could have ever mistaken that gruff voice, even with its sarcastic tone. It was, undoubtedly, Zabuza, and he was clearly mocking her. Kaoru grimaced and opened her eyes, shielding them from the sun with a hand as she sat up and craned her neck to look up at the man staring down at her. With her free hand, Kaoru grasped a small stone, flinging it up at Zabuza, who caught it with ease. She groaned, giving him a good kick in the knee that clearly had no effect at all. Kaoru rolled over, pulling herself into a sitting position.

She glanced around the small forest clearing for the person who had previously poked her relentlessly with a stick. When she spotted no one else in the clearing, she turned around, glaring bitterly at the Demon. So, he thought it funny to poke her with a stick while she was sleeping, eh? Well, that wouldn't last long, she decided.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she pouted, rubbing the side where she'd been jabbed. "Where do you get off sticking me in the side while I'm sleeping? You jerk."

The Demon shook his head at Kaoru. "You think I'd indulge myself by wasting time jabbing you with a stick?" Suddenly, a boy with short blond hair and a Hidden Stone headband tied to his shoulder dropped out of one of the trees, landing in front of Zabuza. "Does this answer your question?" the man said.

"Hi!" the boy said, staring at Kaoru with wide, blue eyes. "I'm Yuta! Yuta Ayasegawa!"

Kaoru grimaced, in hopes that this Yuta kid would leave her alone. But the more she backed away, the closer Yuta got, his blue eyes staring into her brown ones. What the heck was with this kid? Was he already obsessed with her or something? Whatever his issue was, Kaoru was feeling more uncomfortable by the moment. She glanced out of the corner of her eye, wondering if Zabuza was even paying attention to what this new, and obnoxious kid, was doing.

_Apparently not,_ Kaoru sighed, noting that the Demon was staring off into the distance. _Thanks a lot..._

"Yuta!" a female voice called. "Quit bugging people. She hasn't even been awake for five minutes, so lay off."

Kaoru turned in the direction of the voice and saw a girl her own age emerge from the underbrush. Her hair was a brilliant red and was held back in a ponytail, her Hidden Stone headband tied across her forehead. She grinned at Kaoru as she approached, pushing the blond boy out of her face.

"Sorry about him," the girl said, shoving Yuta to the ground with a smirk. "He's really annoying when he meets new people, but you'll get used to it. I know I have. By the way, I'm Midori, Yuta's older, and more practical, sister. Nice to meet you."

The young Mist shinobi merely nodded. She had no idea what to make of these two Hidden Stone shinobi showing up out of nowhere like this. Pulling himself off the ground, Yuta gathered up a handful of stones and flew up the trunk of the nearest tree. Midori squealed in pain as a stone smacked her in the back of the head. She sneered at her brother and, using the tree-climbing technique Kaoru had learned back at the Academy, shot up the tree after her brother.

Sounds of a scuffle echoed through the small clearing as Midori proceeded to smack Yuta around, the rocks falling to the ground as they fought. Kaoru glanced up, grinning as Yuta tried to escape his older, and stronger, sister. Although she didn't have anything against Yuta personally, Kaoru was quite pleased to see that Midori was doing what she had thought of doing to the boy when he'd stuck his face into hers: knock the tar out of him.

Kaoru glanced up at Zabuza with a smirk. "Okay," she said. "What's going on here? Who the heck are they? And I don't wanna hear some lame excuse. I want answers."

"They're just like you," he replied. "Orphans from the Hidden Stone, searching for a purpose, I suppose. When we evacuated after assassinating Yagura, we had to stop to get you some medical attention. Midori, it seems, has been expertly trained in medical ninjutsu. She's the one who healed your leg."

"What?" Kaoru immediately pulled the blanket away, carefully inspecting her left leg. As Zabuza had said, her leg was, indeed, healed. All that was left of the massive wound Kakashi had "graced" her with, was a scar about the size of Kaoru's fist. The young ninja grinned. Although she had just met Midori, she was already grateful that the girl had shown up.

With a scream, Yuta came crashing to the ground, Midori right on his tail. "That's what you get for hitting me with rocks," she laughed, placing a foot on her brother's head and striking a victorious pose. "I win again, Yu-Yu."

"Don't call me that!" Yuta whined, rolling out from under his sister's foot. "And don't put your feet on me, you witch. You're gonna get dirt in my hair."

Kaoru laughed. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad with Yuta and Midori tagging along. "So, how old are you guys?" Kaoru asked.

"I'm seventeen, and Yuta's twelve," Midori grinned, running a hand through her red hair. "What about you?"

"Save the lengthy introductions for later," Zabuza said, cutting in. "We've already wasted two days to lick our wounds. We have to get moving."

**0 -- 0 0 -- 0 0 -- 0**

Naruto hung his head as he sat in Sakura's hospital room. He couldn't believe that he'd failed to protect his comrade in the heat of battle. He knew that he'd had the power to protect Sakura, but he'd allowed his obsession with capturing Zabuza to separate them. The young shinobi sighed, blue eyes filling with tears. What would he do if she died? How would he be able to forgive himself? Naruto clenched his fists, tears running down his face.

"I... I swear," he choked between sobs, "I'll never... never let anyone... hurt you... again... I'm sorry, Sakura... I'm so sorry!"

Sakura had been unconscious for two days now. After closely examining Sakura upon Team Kakashi's return to Konoha, Lady Tsunade had determined that the young medical ninja's trauma had been caused by nothing more than blood loss and shock. She had been brutally attacked, almost to the point of death. Her left arm had been sliced at the elbow joint, almost going through the bone. The wound that had caused Sakura to lose the most blood was a large gash had been made in her abdomen, from the right shoulder to the left hip.

_Not only did I fail to protect Sakura, but I didn't make it in time to prevent Kakashi Sensei from getting hurt._

Kakashi, on the other hand, was far from critical condition. The only injuries the Konoha jonin had sustained, had been a maimed left shoulder and a few minor cuts on his face from Kaoru's bones and kunai knives. Although his sensei's injuries had been minor, Naruto continued to lament over his poor judgment during the battle to protect Yagura. A battle, and mission, that had failed. Naruto had failed to protect, yet, another person.

Naruto thought back to Kakashi's assumption concerning Yagura's death. If the jonin was correctly analyzing the situation, and it was rare that he didn't make a correct analysis, at one point during the battle, Kaoru had somehow conjured up two clones. One disguised as Yagura, and one to fight Kakashi while the real Kaoru took out Yagura, only to take her battling clone's place once the deed had been done.

The young shinobi sighed. Sure, the explanation made sense, but it still didn't change the fact that he had failed to protect his comrades and successfully carry out his mission. How could he let people get hurt like that? He wanted, more than anything, to have the strength to bring Sasuke back to Konoha, and become the next Hokage. But at this rate, his dream would never become a reality, and Sasuke Uchiha would forever reside within the darkness that had infiltrated his heart.

"Naruto? Are you still here?" Tsunade said as she entered the room for Sakura's hourly examination. "Naruto, you really should go outside. Get some fresh air and something to eat. After all, it's unhealthy to worry so much."

"I'm not hungry," Naruto said, swiping angrily at his eyes. "And... If I can't protect Sakura, how can I ever expect to bring Sasuke home?"

Tsunade smiled tenderly at the boy, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. She could understand how he felt, to a certain extent. She, too, had lost those she loved when she was young. Not only her brother, Nawaki, but her lover, Dan, and even a childhood friend, much like Naruto had lost. Without so much as a word, Tsunade took Naruto's hand, lifted him off the stool, and wrapped him in a tight hug.

"It's okay to cry," she said, placing a hand on the shuddering young ninja's back. "After all, tears are one of the things that make us human. There's nothing for you to be ashamed of, Naruto. And no matter what happens, your friends will always have a place for you in their hearts." Naruto lifted his head, and Tsunade wiped his tears away. "Even Sasuke. Nothing can break a true bond of friendship or brotherhood, Naruto. Not even hatred."

Naruto nodded, turning to glance at Sakura, fire burning in his blue eyes. He stepped out of Tsunade's embrace and approached Sakura's bed, fist clenched and arm outstretched. "Sakura... I swear, the next time... I won't let anything hurt you. I give you my word!"

_Looks like he's himself again, _Tsunade thought with a grin as Naruto left the room. _Contrary to this village's previous beliefs, that boy is shaping out to be a damn good ninja. Who knows? Naruto just might be the one to bring Sasuke home... and become the next Hokage. _

**0 -- 0 0 -- 0 0 -- 0**

Sasuke Uchiha, clothed in Akatsuki garb, trudged around the Akatsuki hideout almost mindlessly as he considered his various options. Having been born and raised in Konoha, the young Uchiha knew that it would be no simple task to infiltrate the village, let alone destroy it. But Konoha had some kind of weakness, and of that he was sure.

A tree leaf fluttered down from one of the tree branches above Sasuke's head, landing in his outstretched palm. He ground his teeth, crushing the leaf with a fist. Nothing was perfect. After all, even the strongest tree had a weak point of some sort. In this case, Konoha was the tree, and its inhabitants were the leaves. All he had to do was discover Konoha's weakness, understand it, and exploit it. Only then would he be able to destroy the village that had disgraced his mighty clan.

The Uchiha turned his head, glancing up through the tree leaves at the blue sky above. Even here, far from his birthplace and former home, the sky was still the same. The same endless canvas of pure blue, occasionally painted with splotches of white. Sasuke grinned, allowing the remnants of the leaf to fall from his hand. Soon enough, the sky above Konoha would be red with blood, agony, and regret. Regret for mistreating the Uchiha clan. Agony for all the time Sasuke had been forced to live within a lie. And blood... blood in reparation for the blood of his loved ones that had been spilled out of fear and spite.

Sasuke laughed. "The last thing they will know in this world, is how powerful I am. They will tremble before the raw power of the Uchiha! Only then can I bring balance to this world, and truly restore the honor of my clan!"

Yes, that would be it. They would pay dearly. And not just the elders, but the entire village. Even his old "friends." Even Naruto.

_"Why would you waste so much effort... on me?"_ Sasuke remembered saying.

Like always, Naruto had grinned that stupid grin of his. _"Because, for me, you were part of my family."_

_Naruto... Naruto..._

The name stuck in his head like white on bone. Forever impressed upon his memories; upon his eyes. As hard as he tried, Sasuke couldn't rid himself of the memories he and Naruto had shared. From the day they had become genin to their battle at the Final Valley, the two still seemed to have something special that linked them. A link that couldn't be broke by something so trite as betrayal. The Uchiha sighed. He couldn't allow passed emotions to get in the way of his goal. Especially not now. He hadn't let his former love for his brother, Itachi, stop him from taking his revenge.

_Big brother... Itachi..._

Sasuke cringed at the mere thought of his brother's name. As much as he hated to admit it, Kakashi had been right. All that had come of his vengeance so far... was more pain, suffering, and loneliness than he'd ever felt before. But that pain was what now drove him. His newfound suffering had given him even greater reason to destroy Konoha and redeem his clan, his family... his beloved brother. He could never forgive himself if he left that debt unpaid. Not after he'd learned the truth behind Itachi's betrayal.

_But Naruto... No!_ Sasuke thought, mentally closing the door on his friend. _No one can be allowed to live! Not even you... Naruto._

* * *

Yes, Sasuke made his debut in this chapter. XD Surprised? Well, my reasons for including Sasuke will become clear soon enough. But in the meantime, please review and enjoy! Thanks for reading!


	7. Encounters and Alliances

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Naruto, _or any of the _Naruto _characters used in this fic. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own any original characters that I choose to include, as well as any of my own original plot ideas.

**Chapter 7:** Encounters and Alliances

**A/N: **Although I already know how I want everything to turn out, I still enjoyed writing this. I mean, I **really** enjoyed this chapter. This chapter contains the most interesting twist I could think of for this story. But just in case you guys don't find said twist, I'll be pointing it out at the beginning of the next chapter. :) So, without further ado, please continue reading! :D

* * *

"Midori, wait up!" Yuta cried as he rushed through the trees after his sister.

Of course, Midori ignored her brother's requests, laughing as she sped up. The Stone shinobi grinned to herself. Yuta never did know when to give up. Even when they were just kids living with their parents in the Hidden Stone Village. Although he'd been far younger then, poor Yuta hadn't learned anything after all. Midori turned and made a face at Yuta as she flipped over a branch. Could she have just teased him without flipping? Sure. But she didn't want to. She wanted to rub her flexibility in Yuta's face, because he didn't seem to have any.

Yuta furrowed his blond brows as he reached into his pocket, his hand closing around a handful of small stones. Unknown to Midori, he had gathered up the stones before Zabuza had told them it was time to leave. The blond boy grinned. Midori wouldn't know what hit her! Well, she would, but it wouldn't change the fact that she'd been hit. Drawing his hand back to throw the stone, Yuta heard a familiar voice scolding him.

_"Yuta, you silly boy. You know better than to throw things at your sister. Try to play nice, will you? For me?"_

It was the voice of his late mother. Yuta sighed and emptied the stones from his pocket. He knew that, if she were with him, his mother would be disappointed. Although she had never shouted at him or been bitter about the childish things he did, he knew that it had bothered her. And now, when he'd finally gathered up enough guts to apologize, he couldn't. For she was gone, and he was still alive and well. And that was the way she had wanted things to be. Yuta felt his eyes welling up with tears. He missed her tremendously, and, now that he had left the village, he would never be able to pay his respects to her grave or that of his father.

Zabuza turned his head, glancing back at Yuta. The boy had fallen behind... again. The Demon ground his teeth. He didn't have time to babysit some runny-nosed brat. Catching the boy's glance, the Demon motioned for Yuta to catch up. The boy flinched, but obeyed, keeping time with his sister and Kaoru. Satisfied with the boy's response, Zabuza returned to his thoughts, contemplating whether or not it was a good idea to go meet up with an old "friend."

Given his current circumstances, Zabuza didn't have much choice when he thought about it seriously. Although he had a significant number of followers awaiting his orders, he still found himself in need of a little more brute force. And no one knew brute force better than the Seven Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist. Which brought the Demon back to his initial idea of recruiting the man who had earned himself a reputation as the Monster of the Hidden Mist: Kisame Hoshigaki.

The last thing Zabuza wanted to do was go to a man like Kisame for assistance. But, as he was plotting to take down Konoha, he didn't have much of a choice.

"Hey, what's that?!" Yuta shouted, pointing up ahead at a massive tree that seemed to tower above the others.

Upon further inspection, several structures could be seen in the higher branches of the tree, linked to each other by rope bridges and wooden pathways. High up, near the center of the tree's trunk, was a hole. Probably the entrance.

"What does it look like? It's a fucking tree," Kaoru snapped, pulling on Yuta's blond hair as Midori laughed. "What are you, stupid?"

Zabuza sighed. As of late, it seemed he was surrounded by idiots. "It's the Akatsuki hideout," he said, glowering at the teens. "Now, stay here, keep your mouths shut, and stay out of trouble. I'm going in."

Leaving the teens to themselves, the Demon sped through the remaining trees with haste, wanting to get through the negotiations as quickly as possible. As he neared the hideout, a light fog began to descend around him, emitting a familiar chakra. He stopped in his tracks, feeling another presence nearby. "Well, I'll be damned," a voice said through the fog. "Never thought I'd see you, of all people, around here, Zabuza. How long has it been?"

The Demon grimaced as the fog began to thicken. Relying solely on his hearing, he could tell that Midori and Yuta had huddled together in fear, while Kaoru, crunching some leaves beneath her feet, stood up as she anticipated an attack. Oh, how little they knew about Kisame. If the man had wanted to kill them, he'd have done so already instead of wasting precious time with idle chatter. Of course, Kisame's sudden appearance certainly confirmed Zabuza's suspicions about him being a member of the infamous Akatsuki.

The air around him chilled, and Zabuza, feeling slightly uneasy about seeing Kisame again, placed a hand on his sword, prepared to attack if necessary. For a brief second, a slight gust of air flew by the Demon, signaling Kisame's presence. With a sigh, Zabuza opened his eyes to see Kisame standing before him, that damned grin on his face. Looking the other man over, Zabuza stifled a laugh at Kisame's ridiculous attire.

"I never imagined I'd ever see the likes of you wearing something that eccentric," Zabuza said with a laugh as the fog began to dissipate.

Kisame's eye twitched, assuring the Demon that his remark had struck a nerve. "Well, it's not by choice, I'll have you know," Kisame replied, turning around and motioning for Zabuza to follow. "But I highly doubt that you came here solely to discuss fashion sense, Demon. So, what did you come here for?"

"Business," Zabuza said as Kisame opened a teleportation scroll. "We'll leave it at that until I've had a word with Madara."

The other man's eyes widened. "It seems word's gotten around about our leader, eh? Well, considering all the noise the Hidden Leaf's been making about our organization, it's not much of a surprise."

Wind whistled in Zabuza's ears as the spell began to take effect, transporting himself and Kisame inside a large hallway within the treetops. Dim orange light glumly lit the wooden walls of the corridor as Kisame led the Demon through the hideout. Getting in had been much less of a challenge than Zabuza had expected, but he didn't expect negotiations with Madara to be quite so simple. Kisame's footsteps ceased, and he stepped aside, pointing Zabuza to a door.

"You'd best watch what you say, boy," Kisame said mockingly. "Unless you have a death wish of some sort. But, seeing how you brought those talented little brats with you, there's certainly something on your mind."

Ignoring Kisame's comment, Zabuza pushed the door open, coming face to face with Madara Uchiha himself. The masked man stood by a window on the far side of the room, flanked by a group of four teenagers, each dressed in the flamboyant Akatsuki garb. Upon further inspecting Madara's company, Zabuza realized that one of the four was Suigetsu Hozuki, the brat who had relentlessly nagged him about gaining entrance into the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

Suigetsu's eyes widened when he caught sight of the Demon. "Whoa! What the hell're you doing here, Zabuza?!" Suigetsu practically sprinted across the room, his blue eyes set on the Demon's sword.

Such a sight was sickeningly familiar. The young fool had the same idiotic look on his face now as he'd had eight years earlier in the Hidden Mist Village. As the boy neared, Zabuza side-stepped him, allowing Suigetsu to run straight into the wall by the door. "Don't even think about it," he said, placing a hand on the sword's handle. "Stupid boy. You weren't going to get it then, and you're not getting it now."

"Suigetsu," the dark-haired boy on Madara's left said. "Quit screwing around. It's pathetic."

Zabuza's gaze flew to the other boy, their eyes meeting for an instant. Immediately, the Demon recognized him as one of Kakashi's brats. The only one who had ever managed to keep up with Haku's speed, Sasuke Uchiha. The boy's eyes, despite the Sharingan, were far different then they had been during the battle in the Land of Waves. They seemed to burn with the fires of rage, hatred, and darkness. Surely, he'd long since left the Hidden Leaf.

Sasuke stepped forward, a slight smirk on his face. "What're you here for?" he demanded coldly. "Come back for a rematch, have we? Well, you're wasting your time searching me out. I've long since ceased playing around with the Konoha crowd."

"Don't start with me, boy," Zabuza sneered, looking Sasuke in the eye. "You're far from the top of my list, so you'd be wise to stop with your whimpering. I don't have the time nor patience to listen to your idle ramblings about your pathetic mistakes. I've no interest in you... Or your worthless clan."

_I'm sorry, Sasuke... This is the last time... _Itachi's final words echoed in Sasuke's mind, driving him over the edge.

The young Uchiha flinched at the memory, causing his guilt to resurface once again. The young Uchiha's eyes blazed with maddening fury. He dashed across the room, reaching within his cloak to withdraw a katana as he neared his target. Roaring with rage, Sasuke swung his blade towards the Demon's head with as much force as he could muster. Steel sang as Zabuza managed to parry the blow with his own sword, sending Sasuke flying into the wall with a well-placed kick to the ribs. Dropping his katana, Sasuke's eyes changed, revealing his Mangekyo Sharingan.

Before he could unleash his attack, Madara stepped in, having recognized what the young Uchiha was plotting. "That's enough, Sasuke," he said firmly. "If you're unable to behave in the presence of our guest, then I'll be forced to remove you from this meeting." Without so much as waiting for a response from the young Uchiha, Madara turned his back on him and approached Zabuza. "I believe you wanted to discuss something. I hate to be so direct, but I'm running on little time at the moment. What do you want?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed viciously as one of the other teens, a large boy with orange hair, pulled the Uchiha to his feet. Without so much as a word, Sasuke stalked out of the room, Suigetsu and the others following him, leaving Madara and Zabuza alone in silence.

Zabuza waited to hear the door close before saying anything. "It pains me to say this, but I'm proposing an alliance. An attack on Konoha is in order, and more force is required to achieve something of that magnitude."

Madara's eye narrowed. "In other words, you need my assistance. Well, this is certainly getting interesting." The masked man turned, his mind flying with possibilities. "Understood," he said. "But there is a condition."

The Demon grimaced. He hated being trapped under someone's thumb, even if it would eventually work out to his own advantage.

"I'll require the Nine-Tails brat, should this succeed, and... an allegiance to the Akatsuki is required, as well. Temporarily, of course. Once the Hidden Leaf has fallen, you'll be free to do as you like," Madara grinned behind the mask. "Well?"

**0 -- 0**

Leaves fluttered silently to the ground far below the treetops as Kaoru pulled wads of leaves from nearby branches, crushing them in her hand. She was bored to death waiting for Zabuza to return. She had no idea how long he'd been gone, nor did she really care. All she wanted was to have something fun to do. The branch behind her rustled as Yuta burst forth from the cover of leaves, attempting to launch a surprise attack on Kaoru.

With a sigh, the young Mist ninja sidestepped the attack and watched as Yuta collided with the trunk of the next tree. "You're hopeless," Kaoru laughed, leaping to the next tree to drop leaves on Yuta's head. "A real ninja knows how to create and use a diversion to their advantage before going off and attacking their designated target, genius." She spat the last word with venom and sarcasm. "At this rate, you're never gonna be a successful shinobi."

Although Kaoru couldn't see the boy's face, she knew he was burning with embarrassment simply by looking at his bright red ears. The blond launched himself off of the tree trunk, clumsily grabbing hold of a branch as he scowled at the older ninja. "And who made you the expert?" he demanded with a scowl.

Kaoru let out a laugh, pointing at Yuta's head where a squirrel had decided to curl up. "I'm not saying I'm an expert," Kaoru said as Yuta scared away the squirrel. "I'm just saying..." she hopped onto Yuta's branch, looking down into his blue eyes "...I'm a much better ninja than you are."

For a moment, the young Stone ninja scowled, only to drop his head in shame as he realized the truth of what Kaoru had said. So maybe he hadn't been the most talented young ninja in his age group. But he certainly wasn't worthless. Trying to move as slowly as possible, to avoid drawing attention to himself, Yuta reached into his pouch, clenching a kunai knife in his sweaty hand as he dashed away to hide in the leaves of a nearby tree.

"Coward!" Kaoru mocked from below. "You know I'm right, and so you run away to hide your shame! Just knowing that the fools in your village were naive enough to make someone like you a ninja is enough to make me sick!"

_Don't listen to her!_ Yuta scolded himself. _You know that it's not true, so just ignore it. Focus... Focus, and wait for the opportune moment... Watch and wait for the moment in which to strike!_

The instant Kaoru turned her back, Yuta sprung into action, sending a flurry of clones at her. In the blink of an eye, Kaoru disabled the clones, turning them into nothing more than a pile of dirt that fell to the ground below the trees. She clenched a fist, opening it to allow bone to creep through the flesh of her palm. The sound of rustling leaves caught her attention, the bone flying into the treetops where Yuta had taken cover.

There was a loud thud as the bone lodged itself in the tree trunk, inches from Yuta's face. "See?" Kaoru said, ruffling her short, shaggy hair. "A good shinobi knows when to attack _and_ evade. You only managed to accomplish half of that."

Before Yuta could open his mouth to release a string of vulgarities, Midori appeared beside Kaoru. "I'm not trying to sound whiny or anything but... When the hell is he coming back?" Her green eyes narrowed beneath her red hair. "I'm bored out of my fucking mind here."

Kaoru grinned, glancing up at the Akatsuki hideout. "He told us to stay here and stay out of trouble, right?"

Midori glanced at Kaoru suspiciously. "Yeah... Why?"

"I don't intend to do a damn thing he says. That's why. Like I always say: 'I do what I want, and people get the hell over it.' Now, let's go have a little fun, shall we?"

**0 -- 0**

"Yo, Sasuke!" Suigetsu ran after the Uchiha, following him straight to the opposite side of the hideout. "What the hell were you thinking, attacking Zabuza like that? Are you fucking stupid?!"

Sasuke turned on the white-haired shinobi, grabbing him by the throat. "Don't you dare patronize me!" he barked, slamming Suigetsu against the floor. "I couldn't give a shit as to who he is or how much you idolize him!! To insult my brother or my clan is entirely unforgivable!! So don't start shooting off your mouth about your beloved idol! I don't care!"

Eyes burning with blinded fury, Sasuke pulled Suigetsu from the floor, flinging him across the room. The Mist shinobi grunted as he felt his body being caught in midair. He looked up to find that Juga had managed to catch him. Without a word, as always, Jugo simply set Suigetsu on his feet as Karin rolled her eyes at him with disapproval. The young Suigetsu felt his body tense as he met eyes with Sasuke. But before he could so much as make a move, Jugo had grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Don't," the taller boy said firmly. "It's not worth it."

Suigetsu sneered, slapping Jugo's hand away. "Fuck off," he snorted. "I didn't ask you to interfere, you know. And I'll decide if it's worth it or not."

A flash of sudden movement to his right caught Suigetsu's eye as Karin, who was now in his face, gave him a good blow to the jaw. "You're stupid," she muttered as Suigetsu tried to regain his balance. "Who the hell do you think you are, huh? Picking a fight with Sasuke... He saved us, you douche bag! So start acting a little more grateful, will ya?!"

Sasuke turned his back on the squabbling "couple." He couldn't care less if Suigetsu disapproved of his methods... or of him. If he didn't like it, he could leave. He'd be easy enough to replace, anyway. The young Uchiha scowled, clenching his fists as he tried to suppress the incident that had taken place only minutes ago. If the Demon hadn't spoken out against his clan, Sasuke would have been fine. Perhaps it was simply his guilt acting up again... His guilt of relentlessly pursuing Itachi for eight long years, eventually cornering him and bringing him to his death. He had been living a lie, believing that the clan had been destroyed for his beloved brother's own selfish measures...

And now that he knew the truth behind the clan's slaughter, it was far too late.

He would never be able to repay the debt he owed to Itachi.

Something wet stung his dark eyes, and he blinked, trying to rid himself of the irritating sensation. He touched his eyes, finding that a small trickle of tears had started weaving their way down his face. He caught one of the tears on his finger and watched it fall to the floor. Swiping at his eyes, Sasuke removed the rest of the moisture, not wanting his followers to see.

As Sasuke removed his hand from his eyes, a shout rang through his head, and a human figure rushed at him from the left, weapon in hand. He reached into his cloak, grabbing the katana that he kept behind his back, parrying the intruder's blow just in time. Sasuke sneered, staring into the face of a young girl with short dark hair. A grin was plastered on her face; a sign of obvious enjoyment. The Uchiha glanced at the weapon in the girl's hand.

A bone.

Clearly, this girl wasn't ordinary in the slightest. Like him, it seemed that she, too, carried a kekkei genkai. Clamping his eyes shut for a brief second, Sasuke's Sharingan spun into focus, showing the different colors of chakra that were in the room. Like his own, the chakra of his attacker seemed to flare like a wild forest fire. Unrelenting, and unforgiving.

"Who are you?" he demanded, struggling to block the move.

The girl smirked, raising her free hand towards him as if she were attempting to grab him. "You don't need to know who I am. But I certainly know who you are, little man," she taunted. "Up until three years ago, you were praised as being the most promising young ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village. Isn't that right.... little Sasuke boy?"

Sasuke's eyes began to burn as the the Mangekyo Sharingan began to awaken, sending rivulets of blood streaming down his face from his eyes. He let out a cry, and gathered the energy needed to send a violent wave of electricity through his katana. Surely, an attack of this magnitude was sure to silence the loud-mouthed girl that had shown up to mock him. Sasuke grinned, noting the worried look on the girl's face as a mass of electricity gathered at the hilt of his katana.

Before unleashing his assault, Sasuke managed to grab the girl by the shirt, pulling her close enough to whisper in her ear, "Die."

The mass of chakra energy surged, flying down the katana with fantastic speed as it chirped like a thousand crying birds. There was a large flash of light as the shrieking electric mass made contact with the bone the girl had clasped firmly in her hand. A loud crack echoed throughout the room, and the sound of flying pieces of bone falling against the wooden floorboards pleased Sasuke immensely.

He grinned, dropping his katana and letting out a laugh. Oh, how he wished that Madara and the Demon had seen such a display of his power. Sasuke's laughter calmed to a chuckle as he knelt to pick up the blade, tucking it securely into its scabbard. The light began to fade, and the young Uchiha grinned wider, eager to see the bloody mass of flesh that he had turned the girl into. When the light finally faded, Sasuke grabbed hold of his katana once again as he found himself staring into the cold, dark eyes of the Demon.

"Let me go!" a voice cried out. Sasuke turned to see the girl, still whole, being held back by two young ninja from the Hidden Stone as she attempted to attack him. "I'll kick his ass!!"

Sasuke turned away, ignoring her. He'd have preferred it if she had been blown to bits by his assault. A firm hand on his shoulder caught his attention, and Sasuke swung his free hand back, only to have it trapped by Zabuza. "Enough of the games, boy," the Demon said, throwing Sasuke to the floor. "You're under my command."

* * *

Oh. My. Gosh! It took a while for me to finish this. There's been so much going on, it's hard to believe. What with classes and all the crappy weather, it's a wonder I'm still sane. XD I don't see how Kishimoto-Sensei can put out a chapter each week. I mean, I can't even finish writing a chapter a week! XD Anyway, I'd like to thank** triggerspec** for reading **AND** reviewing **ALL** chapters of this fanfic. So, thank you! :) And now, my dear readers, I must say goodbye for now. But fear not! Chapter 8 will come soon!


	8. Left Behind

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Naruto, _or any of the _Naruto _characters used in this fic. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own any original characters that I choose to include, as well as any of my own original plot ideas.

**Chapter 8:** Left Behind

**A/N:** I'm actually surprised that I'm updating again. Maybe it's because it's so close to the weekend? Ah, well. I guess it doesn't matter. The point is, I'm updating, and having fun writing.

* * *

_Now that my mission is over for the day, I have nothing to do,_ Rock Lee thought as he trudged through the streets of Konoha. _Guy Sensei has just been called out on another mission, and Tenten and Neji are busy as well. And that leaves me with no one to train with._ Lee sighed kicking a pebble, staring up at the clouds as he walked. _The clouds look so peaceful. It is no wonder Shikamaru finds them to be so fascinating. They are a beautiful part of nature, indeed. _

"Yeah, yeah! Keep it coming, old man!" a familiar voice cried from the ramen shack down the street. "Oh, yeah! That's the stuff! Miso ramen, here I come!"

Lee jumped up to see over the heads of the citizens of Konoha, trying to see if he'd heard the person he'd thought he'd heard. "Oh! Naruto!" Lee called, catching sight of his friend's orange jumpsuit. "It has been a long time!" he shouted, weaving in and out of the people on the streets of Konoha as he neared the ramen shack. "Where have you been?"

Naruto grinned, ramen noodles hanging out of his mouth. "Nnnph mmh mm pff mshn!" the blond said with a grin. "Mmph nndph dmmf hmmph bffl!"

Lee took a seat beside Naruto, one massive eyebrow raised in confusion at Naruto's inaudible explanation. "Umm.... I am sorry, Naruto," Lee said. "I did not understand a word you just said. Perhaps I should wait until you have finished with your ramen?"

The blond shinobi nodded, scarfing the noodles down as if he were taking place in an eating contest of sorts. Once the bowl had been drained of its contents, Naruto let loose a loud burp and sighed, leaning happily on the counter top. "Man, that sure was good!" he said, grinning at the owner of the bar.

"Now then," Lee said, trying to get Naruto's attention. "What were you saying before?"

Naruto shot up straight, leaning on the bar with his elbow as he grinned at his friend. "Oh, yeah! Well, Granny Tsunade sent us on this awesome mission! I mean, you wouldn't believe where I got to go, Bushy Brow! Straight to the Land of Water! I'll tell ya, it's amazing there! Well, at least when you can actually see through the mist and all. Anyway, we were called out to protect the Mizukage!"

Lee's eyes widened. "You are serious? You were sent to protect the Mizukage? Naruto, that is amazing! And quite an honor, of course!"

"Oh, yeah!" Naruto said, pumping a fist in the air. "But when we got there, we ran into some big trouble. Remember that Zabuza guy I told you about a while back? Well, it turns out... he's still around! And he was the one trying to kill the Mizukage! So, when he showed up, I blasted him with my Rasengan, and he flew right through the wall! It was amazing, Bushy Brow! I wish you could have been there!"

The Blue Beast nodded. "Yes. I would have liked to see you in action, Naruto. You are truly a splendid ninja!" Lee grinned, giving Naruto a thumbs-up. "By the way, Naruto... What happened to the Mizukage? Did he survive?"

Naruto hug his head. "Nah... This girl, who was working with Zabuza, took him out... At least, that's what Kakashi Sensei told me... And Sakura got hurt, too! Gah!" Naruto smacked himself in the head. "I'm such a loser!"

Lee sighed, placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "That is not true, Naruto," he said. "I have heard from Ino that Sakura is awake now. We should go see her together! What do you say, Naruto? Are you up for it?"

The spunky blond shot out of his seat, tossed his money to the ramen shop owner, and dragged Lee down the street. "Wa-hoo! Right on!" He shouted, earning several weird looks from passersby. "Maybe, if I get her some flowers, Sakura will finally go on a date with me when she gets out of the hospital! Oh, yeah! Let's do it!"

Tears ran down Lee's face as Naruto dragged him to the flower shop. "If Sakura does not accept my gift, then she will make fun of my hair and eyebrows... forever!"

**0 -- 0 0 -- 0 0 -- 0**

Sasuke glowered at the demon, a smirk on his face. "Hmph. You're a fool," he scoffed. "I take orders from no one."

"Not so, Sasuke," Madara said as he entered the room. "From this moment onward, you're to do whatever Zabuza tells you to. Do I make myself clear?"

The young Uchiha's eyes flared with rage, once again. He darted across the room, grabbing Madara by his Akatsuki cloak. "Never," he hissed, eyes wide. "Never again will I sit back and take orders! I'm here now because I made that mistake before! It's because of Konoha and their damned regulations that my parents and brother are dead! Don't you ever ask me to take orders like a pawn! I won't do it!"

Madara chuckled, drawing Sasuke closer, staring into the boy's eyes. "Forgive me, Sasuke," he replied. "But I don't think I _asked_ you to do anything... I gave you an order. And no, Sasuke... It is not because of Konoha that Itachi is dead... It's all because of _you_. It was you, the genius of the Uchiha, who chose to live a life of hatred and revenge. And because of that, you are here today. Do you understand? It is nobody's fault but your own."

Zabuza sneered, grabbing Sasuke by the shirt and throwing him to the floor. "Enough of the idle chatter," he barked, glancing at Madara. "We have work to do." He turned back to Sasuke. "And you, boy, are going to do exactly as I tell you... Unless you'd like for your precious ego to be cut down to size."

"I'd like to see you try," Sasuke snapped, kicking the Demon in the gut as he flipped him over into the wall. Sasuke jumped to his feet, katana at the ready, as his Sharingan began to take hold once again. "You can't defeat me," he laughed. "I'm the savior who shall redeem the Uchiha clan... with the blood of Konoha!"

The Demon cringed as he got to his feet. He hadn't expected one of Kakashi's brats to have become so powerful. But the boy wouldn't have gotten this far had he foolishly remained in Konoha, playing ninja with his little friends. The Uchiha brat had only grown stronger while wrapped within Orochimaru's twisted coils. But regardless of who had trained him, the boy would be unable to bring the Demon to his knees.

Even in death.

"You've no idea how long I've waited for this," Sasuke sneered as blood flowed from his eyes. "From the moment we realized you'd made your escape, I knew, deep in my gut, that I'd have the pleasure of cutting you down one day. And it seems..." The Uchiha lunged with his katana, extending the range of his attack with his Chidori Spear, catching the Demon in the shoulder."...Today is that day."

Zabuza smirked at the boy. "You still don't get it, do you? I'm still out of your league, boy!" Zabuza, who had been a water clone the whole time, vanished, spreading water around Sasuke as the boy initiated his Chidori Current. The current ran through the water, sending sparks of blue lightning flying through the air.

_Just you wait, you bastard,_ Sasuke mused, placing the sparks under control. _I'll have you soon enough. And when I do, your head will--_

"What the hell is going on?" Kisame demanded, knocking down the door with his Samehada. Despite having been in his lodgings on the opposite side of the hideout, Kisame had still managed to hear all the ruckus. The wooden door fell into a large puddle, sending the water up into Kisame's face. "Shit!"

Kaoru laughed, rolling on the floor as she pointed at Kisame. "What a loser!"

The older shinobi scowled, wiping the water away with the sleeve of his Akatsuki cloak. "Watch it, pipsqueak," he warned, flashing his teeth as he slammed Samehada into the floor.

"Th-That's weird..." Kaoru muttered to herself, crouching down with her back to Kisame as Midori and Yuta, having sensed danger, steadily backed away. "I thought that that walking tray of sushi over there called me a 'pipsqueak....'"

Kisame flinched. Who the hell was this brat calling sushi? He'd turn _her_ into fucking sushi if she said that again. "I'm not your lunch, you stupid little brat," Kisame growled, pulling his blade from the floorboards and swinging it over his shoulder. "You're a fool if you're trying to pick a fight with me. I'll shred your pathetic little body until it's reduced to nothing more than a puddle of blood!"

Yuta and Midori, who had decided to take shelter behind Jugo, stared with wide eyes as Kaoru jump-kicked Kisame in the chest, screaming wildly. "I'm _not_ short, so shut your pie hole, ya stupid sardine! I'll kick your ass, cut you up, stuff you in a tuna can, and feed you to the cats for lunch!"

"Calm down, brat!" Zabuza growled, cutting in before Kaoru to launch a full-out assault. The Demon rolled his eyes as Kaoru continued to ignore him, thrashing about as he held her by the back of her shirt. "So help me, I'll throw cut you up, throw you in a ditch and bury you if you don't cut it out!"

Suigetsu laughed, "And everyone tells me _I'm_ the freak."

"Shut up," Karin chimed, kicking Suigetsu in the shin. "You _are_ a freak, so don't get a big head, stupid."

"Well," Madara said, approaching Zabuza, "Now that everyone's here, I might as well hand out the assignments. Sasuke's team will go after the Eight-Tails, as planned, and you'll be assisting in the capture of the Nine-Tails. Once we have Naruto Uzumaki in our hands, our invasion of Konoha should be a bit simpler." He turned to Kisame, who was still shaking with rage. "Kisame, show our guests to their chambers, and supply them with whatever they may need."

Kisame nodded and headed back through the damaged doorway. "Let's just get this over with."

**0 -- 0 0 -- 0 0 -- 0**

"Sakura!" Naruto shouted, running down the hallways of the hospital to reach his friend's room. "Sakura! Sakura, I'm here!"

The blond shinobi flung open the door to Sakura's room, bouquet of flowers in hand as Lee, surprisingly, stumbled into the room in exhaustion. Naruto had dragged him to the flower shop, only to leave him behind in his hurry to visit Sakura. The dark-haired shinobi gasped, collapsing on the floor, trying to avoid damaging the flowers and fruit basket he had brought for his dear Sakura to enjoy. He hoped, with all his heart, that she would appreciate his devotion to her.

"Lee! Naruto!" Sakura said, her face lighting up as her friends arrived.

Approaching her bedside, Naruto placed the flowers on the bed, grabbing Sakura in a tight hug. "Sakura! I'm sorry! Please, please, forgive me! I never meant to let that monster hurt you!"

"I-It's okay, Naruto. Really, it is," Sakura laughed, trying to get her excited friend to release her so she could breathe. "It was my own fault to begin with. So... um... Naruto, could you let go... Please? You're kind of choking me."

The blond laughed, relinquishing his stranglehold on Sakura. He grinned, rubbing the back of his head. "Heh heh! Sorry, 'bout that, Sakura," he laughed, picking up the flowers. "Here," he said, handing them to her. "I know how much you like flowers and all, so I stopped by the flower shop and bought you these. I figured they might make your stay here a little better."

Sakura smiled, graciously accepting the bouquet from Naruto. "Thank you, Naruto," she said, blushing slightly. "That's really... sweet."

Maybe Naruto really was growing up. At least, it certainly seemed that way. Although he still had the nasty habit of competing with Konohamaru over whose "Sexy Jutsus" were "better," Naruto had really made some improvements that Sakura had noticed since he'd returned from his training with Jiraya. She grinned, glancing at the mass of colorful flowers she held in her hands. Such a gesture of kindness would have been unthinkable from the Naruto she had known during their Academy days. But, as of late, her teammate had been showing genuine signs of maturity.

She giggled to herself, remembering all the times when Naruto had bragged about being "the most skilled genin" on their team, and claiming he was going to be the next Hokage. Maybe e didn't try to act superior anymore because... Sasuke was gone.

_That's right,_ she thought, glancing at Naruto as he helped Lee to his feet. _You and Sasuke couldn't agree on anything when they first put the three of us together. You guys would fight over the stupidest things... and you'd always be the one to start those fights, Naruto. But... you've really changed these past three years, haven't you? You've gotten stronger, taller... and you've even grown up a little bit. And now you're risking life and limb to bring Sasuke home. At this rate, Naruto, I'm sure you'll become Hokage one day. You'll make a great Hokage. _

"Hey, Sakura... Is something wrong?" Naruto asked, having noticed she was staring at him.

Sakura simply grinned. "Not really. I was just thinking... Remember when you came back to Konoha, Naruto? How you wanted to take me out for ramen? Well, as soon as I get out of here.... we'll go on that date. Okay?"

Lee's face dropped as Naruto began cheering and bouncing around the room with shouts of excitement.

Naruto turned to Sakura, giving her a thumbs- up. "All right!" he proclaimed with a grin. "It's a date!"

"What about me, Sakura?" Lee said hurriedly, bumping Naruto out of the way as he handed Sakura the fruit basket and flowers he had brought. "Would you like to see a movie with me, or perhaps have some lunch beneath the cherry blossom trees? I would be very happy to treat you to anything your heart desires!"

_Please, please, say "yes!"_ Lee pleaded in silence. _If Sakura does not accept my invitation, I shall do 500 laps around the village on my hands... at midnight!_

Lee's heart pounded like a jackhammer within his chest, and he began to sweat slightly. From the very moment he had set eyes upon Sakura, he had been madly in love with her. And seeing how she had accepted Naruto's invitation to go out on a date, he found now as good a time as any to ask the same. He only hoped that she would accept his invitation as well. And if she didn't, he wouldn't give up. He would wait for her until the end of time.

"I'd... Like that very much, Lee," she said. "Thank you."

Naruto scowled as Lee felt his spirits soar above the clouds. "Yeah, well... My date comes first, Bushy Brow," the blond said, his arms crossed over his chest. He glanced at Sakura. "And when I bring Sasuke home, Team 7 can hang out again. Just like old times. You, me, Sasuke, and Kakashi Sensei. Right, Sakura?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah."

_Thank you... Naruto..._

**0 -- 0 0 -- 0 0 -- 0**

"Ooh! This is nice," Kaoru said with a grin as she entered her designated chamber. "I think I can manage staying in here." Kaoru estimated the room to be about the size of one of the classrooms back at the Ninja Academy. The walls of the room, like the rest of the hideout, had been firmly constructed of wood, and a large tree branch came up through the center of the floor. A large bed and nightstand sat opposite the closet that sat to the right of the door.

The tomboy ninja grinned wider, sensing Kisame's bitter glare on the back of her head. "May I help you?" she said mockingly as she turned to face him.

Kisame snorted, tossing her an Akatsuki cloak. "Don't get too cozy, brat. You still have me to deal with."

"Oh, of course!" Kaoru replied, pulling the cloak over her clothes. "I wouldn't ever _dream_ of fighting someone like you! I mean, who knows what kind of fishy jutsu you have up your sleeve."

Zabuza, who stood behind Kisame, rolled his eyes, glancing at the Kaoru, who was happily inspecting the cloak. "You've_ got _to be fucking kidding," he said. "There's no way in hell I'm wearing something as ridiculous as that."

Kisame turned with a grin. "So sorry," he said, throwing a cloak at the Demon as he walked out the door to stand in the hallway. "Standard procedure, I'm afraid."

"Hmph. 'Standard procedure' my ass," the Demon muttered, following Kisame down the hall. "I really don't see how anyone can consider flamboyant idiots like you to be a threat. If you're going to wear something as stupid as this, you might as well paint a fucking target on yourself."

The older shinobi glanced over his shoulder at Zabuza. "Well, this is a surprise," he said, stopping in front of a room at the end of the hallway. "I never thought I'd see the day when my endearing little follower would refuse to do something I asked. Tell me... what happened to the eager little boy that used to follow me around the village, hmm? Surely he's still around?"

Zabuza gave Kisame a shove. "Shut up," he sneered. "As far as I'm concerned, that child died years ago. The boy you remember is one who forever stained the mists of our village with fear, loathing, and blood. The child you speak of never truly existed, so keep your mouth shut."

"Talk all you want, Zabuza," Kisame laughed, opening the door. "But nothing you say can change who and what you were _before_ you became a demon."

The Demon shrugged, pushing past Kisame to get into the room, slamming the door shut behind him. From outside the room, Zabuza could hear Kisame laughing as he headed for his own lodgings. He scowled, trembling with anger, slamming a fist against the door.

_He's a fool,_ he thought, crossing the room and sitting on the bed. He leaned his blade against the wall, allowing himself to fall backwards onto the mattress. The Demon scowled, staring up at the ceiling, bitterly replaying Kisame's words in his mind. _No such child ever lived. And even if he had, he would have died when the rest of them did... the night I stained the mist with blood..._

A loud knock on the door snapped him out of his reverie. Zabuza groaned, turning his back on the door. "What now?" he barked as the door opened.

"Hey," Suigetsu said, closing the door behind him. "Well, you're certainly not the man you were ten years ago, are you?" The young shinobi's eyes lit up as they caught sight of the Demon's blade. He swiftly crossed the room, running a hand down the sharp edge of the massive weapon. "And how could I ever forget this?"

Zabuza shot to his feet, grabbing Suigetsu by the throat. "Paws off, brat," he said curtly. "Now, if you've something to say, then say it. I'm not feeling too cheery at the moment, so make it fast." Almost as quickly as he had grabbed the boy, Zabuza let him drop to the floor with a thud.

Suigetsu grimaced, rubbing his throat. "Relax," he said. "I only came to talk to you."

"Lucky me," Zabuza said sarcastically, sitting back on the bed. "Don't you have someone else to bother? Like Kisame, for instance?"

The teen shook his head. "Nah. You know as well as I do that Kisame won't listen to a damn thing I have to say. Besides, he's busy with Mysterio," he said, referring to Madara. "You know, that masked guy's a real mystery. Wearing that damned mask all the time... Makes ya wonder what the hell he's hiding."

"I couldn't care less about Madara's secrets. Unlike you, he knows when to keep his mouth shut. He's far from being open about things... And you," Zabuza said, pushing Suigetsu to the floor, "could learn a thing or two from him about keeping quiet. You ought to look into that."

Suigetsu grimaced, making the same face he used to when Zabuza would leave him and his brother, Mangetsu, behind. The two boys had been obsessed with the Demon from the moment they'd laid eyes on him. And nothing he'd ever said to them could satisfy their obsession. They'd follow him throughout the village and, on occasion, even when he was deployed.

"You two always were a pain in the ass," Zabuza said. "Always following me around like a couple of starving dogs waiting for the kill... You never did know when to take 'no' for an answer. Following me on missions and the like... forcing me to turn back and dump your sorry hides back in the village... never giving me a moment's peace."

The white-haired shinobi smirked, showing off his teeth. "What can I say? You were our idol, after all. And to be honest, I don't even remember how we got started... following you around the way we did. It just kind of... happened. We really didn't have anyone else but each other after our folks died."

_At least you remember,_ Zabuza thought. And for the first time in a long time, he caught himself struggling to remember his parents' faces for a moment before giving in. He decided that they didn't really matter at this point. He'd barely been old enough to talk when they'd died, anyway.

"From the looks of it, everyone here has that in common, at least," Suigetsu said. "I mean, each of us has been left alone at one point or another. Maybe that's why we're all here now."

The Demon smirked. "Shut up... you stupid boy."

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Ta-dah! Chapter 8 is completed. For the record, chapter 9 will have a lot more humor in it. XD I'm gonna get started right away! Thanks for the read, guys. Please don't forget to review. ;)


	9. Shock

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Naruto, _or any of the _Naruto _characters used in this fic. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own any original characters that I choose to include, as well as any of my own original plot ideas.

**Chapter 9:** Shock

**A/N:** I'm actually surprised that I'm updating. Especially with all the hype that's going on. :) Ah, well. I guess it doesn't matter. The point is, I'm updating, and having fun writing. And... I really think that some of you who read this are going to be laughing very soon. Because... Well, I laughed my ass off just writing this. XD

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Kaoru sighed happily, throwing herself onto the bed with her bag as she entered her room. "Now this is what I call comfort!" she said with a smirk.

It had been several hours since she had been able to fully relax. For the past four days had been spent with proposals of how to carry out the destruction of Konoha and the capture of the two remaining Jinchuriki. And, at the moment, Kaoru didn't want to hear the words "Jinchuriki", "Konoha", or "meeting" again. She was damn tired of all the stupid meetings that had dragged on over the past few days. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy plotting, but that she didn't get to put in her own opinions and whatnot.

And that annoyed her to no end.

Trying to subdue her frustration, she rolled over onto her stomach, unzipping the bag and sifting through its contents. Everything she'd need to unwind was there. All manner of drawing supplies and paper as well as a couple of her favorite novels and a notebook to write her own musings in. Glancing at her drawing notebook, Kaoru remembered the Zabuza chibi she had drawn several days earlier. With a smile, she reached into the notebook, pulling out the drawing and grabbing her pencils.

Humming all the while, Kaoru carefully colored the drawing to perfection, being careful to get the colors just right. Once she had finished, she held it up, looking it over with the utmost care. A wide grin broke out across her face, and she began to laugh at how much the chibi looked like Zabuza.

_Wow,_ she thought, still laughing. _If he ever saw this, he'd wring my neck!_

"Holy crap, this is hysterical!" she shouted, not caring if anyone heard her.

From outside her door, Kaoru suddenly heard a loud bang come from the end of the hallway. Her eyes widened slightly. Was _someone_ having a temper tantrum? Carefully tucking her supplies back into her bag, she opened her door and peered down the hallway towards Zabuza's room, but nothing seemed to be going on. She scowled, crossing her arms. But what the hell had been with all the noise before?

Her curiosity having gotten the better of her, Kaoru slipped out of her room and dashed down the hallway, pressing her ear against Zabuza's door.

_Damn,_ she thought. _Not even a sound now. Well, I might as well check it out._

Carefully opening the door, Kaoru poked her head inside. She carefully scanned the room before entering, quietly closing the door behind her. She scowled, realizing that no one was around. And here she'd been expecting to find some intruder or something. Kaoru paused at the thought of an intruder before smacking herself in the forehead. Oh, yeah. _She_ was the intruder here. Kaoru shrugged, and continued to poke around.

Having scoured the entire room, she realized that, not surprisingly, Zabuza's room was, more or less, empty, except for his massive blade and the few essential supplies he carried with him regularly. Kaoru sighed. This had been a total waste of her time.

"Ugh... What the hell am I doing?" she muttered to herself. "I might as well go back to my room."

She turned to the door, grabbing the handle when she suddenly felt a presence within the room. Kaoru's eyes widened when she felt someone's gaze on the back of her head. Her heart began thumping against her ribs as if it were trying desperately to free itself. Her mind spun with several scenarios that could take place in a matter of moments, as well as numerous ways to get out of said scenarios alive. But the last thing she expected was what was actually happening.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" Zabuza's unmistakable voice demanded. "And don't give me any of that 'nothing' crap."

The young shinobi made a face._ Of course,_ she thought, mentally smacking herself. _This_ is _his room, so why wouldn't he be in here? I am such an idiot._

She turned around, a smart-ass response prepared. "I know there's no use making up some half-assed story," she said, her eyes closed for effect. "But I thought I heard something, so I decided to come and investigate. And what do I find?"

Kaoru opened her eyes, nearly passing out at what she saw: A certain someone was wearing nothing but the towel around his waist.

"I really don't get you," the Demon said, leaning against the door frame of the bathroom. "You're nosy, obnoxious, and you just waltz on in here like you own the damn place. You're lucky I don't kill you now."

The young ninja slapped a hand over her eyes, stumbling to find the door. "Holy shit!" she cried in shock, fumbling around. "Warn me next time, will ya? I don't wanna see you without your freaking skivvies! Oh, my hell! My eyes! I'm gonna be blind after seeing that, you arrogant jerk!"

Zabuza rolled his eyes at her, obviously not flustered in the least. "So it's _my_ fault you don't have enough sense to_ knock_ on the door before entering someone else's room? Well, I suppose it could have been worse. You _could_ have walked into the bathroom..."

Finally grabbing hold of the door, Kaoru flung it open, running out into the hall and back to her room where she belonged, slamming her door behind her. She leaned against the door, locking it as she struggled to breathe. Falling to the floor, Kaoru felt her gag reflex acting up, and she clamped a hand over her mouth, eyes still wide like saucers. For a few minutes, Kaoru felt as though she were fading in and out of consciousness. Probably due to the massive shock she'd just received.

_Holy shit... _she thought, her right eye twitching as she dragged herself onto her bed. _I _never_ want to see that again!_

**0 -- 0 0 -- 0 0 -- 0**

"Hey, Sasuke," Karin said as she opened the door to Sasuke's room. "Here's your lunch."

The young Uchiha sat on his bed, a book in hand, his eyes flying from one word to the next as he ignored her. He wanted to be left alone. The teen remained silent, turning one page after the other, leaving Karin to stare at him.

_Just... go away,_ he thought, barely paying attention to the words on the pages. _I know what you're after, and I don't want you here._

"S-Sasuke..."

He sighed, snapping the book shut and sitting up on the bed. Sasuke turned to Karin, who had placed the lunch tray on the table beside his bed, glowering at her. "Karin, there's something you have to understand..." He stood up, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're a member of my team... nothing more. Do you understand? I don't love you, nor will I ever love you. And that's something that you'll have to learn to accept."

Karin nodded slightly, casting her gaze to the floor. Who the hell had she been kidding, flirting with Sasuke the way she had? She searched her heart, realizing that she'd known he didn't care about her in that way. She had simply forced herself to believe that her fantasies would come to fruition and that, by assisting him, she'd win her way into his seemingly impenetrable heart.

"I'm sorry," she said, trying to hide her tears. "I... think I knew all along. I just didn't want to believe the truth." She looked up at him, unable to contain the flood any longer. "Please, don't be angry with me."

He simply grinned, sitting back on the bed, watching her eyes as her tears began to slip down her face. The glum expression that had overcome Karin's usually calm features reminded Sasuke of Sakura. The look on Karin's face was the same one that Sakura had worn on the night that he had left the village three years earlier. He smirked, remembering what he had said to Sakura on that night.

"You... make me sick," he said smugly. "But the funny thing is... I was able to see right through you, when I couldn't even see through my own brother. You know... I've hated him for so long that I can only remember a handful of times that we were actually happy together... as brothers should be. Nothing else really mattered back then. I only ever wanted to be like him; receive the praise that my father would constantly give him. He was my idol and, at the same time, my rival. But now he's gone..."

"Sasuke..."

The raven-haired shinobi turned away, clamping his eyes shut. "Just go, Karin..."

He heard the soft click of the door as Karin closed it behind her, leaving him to his thoughts.

_I don't understand you, Brother,_ he thought bitterly. _Why would you want to make me out to be the hero? Why couldn't you just... kill Danzo yourself?_ Sasuke laughed, recognizing his own stupidity. _Of course... Whether you killed Danzo or annihilated the clan, you'd still be seen as the villain... I guess... there was no way for you to win... But regardless, I won't allow your suffering to go unpunished... Konoha will fall. And I will be the savior to redeem the name of clan Uchiha!_

**0 -- 0 0 -- 0 0 -- 0**

"The nerve of that guy," Suigetsu muttered, taking hold of one of the water bottles strapped to his side. "I mean, who the hell does Sasuke think he is? Just because he's a member of one of the most prestigious ninja clans he thinks he's better than everyone else? Feh!"

Jugo, who was standing near an open window to watch the birds outside, turned and raised an eyebrow. "You're still sore about that after four days?" the taller boy said. "I don't think I understand you, Suigetsu," he said calmly. "Why come with Sasuke if he bothers you so much? Wouldn't you be better off on your own?"

Suigetsu wrinkled his nose, taking a long drink of water from the bottle. Sure, Sasuke pissed him off, but Suigetsu would much rather have the Uchiha on his side than go head-to-head with him in a battle. Then again, Sasuke wasn't the only one who bothered him. Karin annoyed him to death, too. But he supposed that he could live with a little discomfort and confrontation as long as he had a shot at taking both Zabuza and Kisame's swords.

"Ya see Jugo, my motives, unlike Sasuke's, are simple and to the point. All I'm after are the blades of the Seven Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist. Two of said swordsmen are in the same area we're in, which saves me the trouble of having to hunt them down. And trust me, Jugo. Men like Zabuza and Kisame are anything but easy to track. It's a freaking miracle that some punk from the Hidden Rain managed to find him."

Jugo's brows furrowed a bit. What Suigetsu had said didn't make much sense. "Suigetsu, you're imagining things. None of those three kids are from the Hidden Rain. They're from the villages of the Stone and Mist."

Suigetsu rolled his eyes. "The annoying one that attacked Sasuke graduated from the Academy in the Hidden Mist two years before I did. She just showed up one day, said that she was an orphan whose mother had been born and raised in the Mist, and registered for the training. We were even stuck together for a while as partners, so I know her whole story."

"Then why didn't you say anything to each other when she arrived? Surely, she would have at least acknowledged you if you know each other like you say."

"Ha! You don't know Kaoru like I do, Jugo," the white-haired shinobi grinned. "Sure, she's a girl, but she's every bit as tough as one of the guys. And, as rumor has it, she's got the blood of the prestigious Kaguya clan in her."

Jugo merely shrugged, trying not to react too much to Suigetsu's mention of the Kaguya clan, and returned to watching the birds as they began to build a nest on one of the branches. Of course, he had known of the Kaguya clan, due to his friendship with Kimimaro, but he'd never expected that another shinobi with Kaguya blood existed. Much less, a ninja raised in the Hidden Rain village. But it wasn't any of his business, really. But he still couldn't help that Suigetsu's words bothered him. From what Jugo had heard from Kimimaro, the entire Kaguya clan had been wiped out when they attempted to revolt against the Hidden Mist's government. And Kimimaro was the only known survivor of that legendary clan, which was why Orochimaru had shown such an interest in him as a vessel.

Suigetsu laughed, picking up on Jugo's uneasiness. "You kill me, Jugo," he snickered. "You're really surprised, aren't you? Come on, Jugo. It's okay to show a little bit of emotion once in a while. Unless you don't believe me."

"I don't see no reason for her to lie about her kekkei genkai," he replied. "So, it must be true. Besides... Kimimaro once told me about a woman from his clan who escaped to the Hidden Rain the year before the clan's numbers were cut in half. And if that's true, then there's little doubt that this girl is the child of the woman Kimimaro spoke of."

_There's no doubt about it..._ Jugo thought as one of the birds landed on his outstretched arm. _She really is... like Kimimaro..._

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Well, that's it for this chapter. I couldn't think of a better title for this chapter, since it's mainly... shocking.... Yeah... Please review!


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